ZP3: Their Worst Nightmare Come True
by Wolflmg
Summary: The sequel to Zordon's Prophesy parts 1 & 2. The strangers are on the run. Who are they? Who are they running from? And what is the cause of their sorrows?
1. Chapter 1

It was late in the night. The sky was dark and gloomy. Thunder banged loudly and lightning flashed in the sky, as the rain poured down heavily. The lightning struck down, hitting the ground. Fire emerged and smoke surrounded the grassy field. There was a bright blue flash. Once the blue light cleared, a dark shadow was seen in the smoke. Someone was laughing darkly in the mist of the storm.

"I'll find you three and hunt you down until you're all dead, just like the rest!" Through the smoke two red dots were barely visible. The dark laughter began to die down as the storm continued.

In a small dark hotel room, all the lights were off. The only light was the flashes of lightning seen through the window. In the room there were two beds; one of the beds was vacant, unmade. In the other bed the person appeared to be tossing and turning, making soft moans and cries. Whoever was in the bed appeared to be having some sort of nightmare.

"No…..Please…….No…….Don't hurt him…" she cried.

Thunder banged loudly, almost making the small room shake.

"NO!!" She quickly sat up in bed, breathing heavily and her heart racing rapidly. Her identity was hidden by the darkness.

"Are you okay?" asked a voice.

The woman turned her head and saw a young man, about eighteen or maybe older, standing by the bathroom door hidden in the shadows. She took a deep breath, nodded her head and pulled the sheets away. "Yeah. It was just another dream," she answered, wiping her eyes dry from the tears.

The young man was silent for a moment, feeling the pain and sadness in her voice. "I know what you mean. I couldn't get to sleep either, been up watching the storm…" he answered, staring over at the window.

The woman turned her head towards the window, seeing how heavily it was raining out. She also saw another man with his back towards them standing out in the rain. "How long has he been out there?"

There was a short pause. "For a while, he was out there when I woke up. I don't think he sleeps anymore," he answered softly.

The woman sighed. "None of us do..." she said softly as she continued to look out the window watching as the rain poured down on their friend.

Outside of the motel room the young man appeared to be in his late twenties, perhaps early thirties, his clothes soaking wet due to the storm. His short brown hair was drenched from the rain and was dripping down his face. Every breath he took could be seen due to the heat. He ran his hand over his wet hair and sighed deeply. The thunder was still rumbling and was beginning to draw away from the area they were in. Suddenly he heard something. He turned his head slightly, but saw nothing. He continued to stare at where the noise came from. He could hear the softness of footsteps heading towards him. The sound seemed familiar to him, as each step he heard pounded off in his heart. His heart beat fast, as fear rushed through him. His breathing began to grow deeper as the footsteps came closer. Through the dusk of the night, he was able to make out a form. His eyes lit up, like he had seen a ghost. "Oh no. He found us."

The motel room door burst open at the flash of lightning and bang of thunder. The two that had already been in the room jumped, startled. The man quickly closed the door behind him and locked it shut. "Get down!" he ordered them.

The two quickly ducked down as he had ordered. He stared at the two forms barley visible in the dark shadows. He pressed his finger to his mouth letting them know to be quiet. The man stayed in front of the door, his form firm and stiff, making sure no part of his body could be seen, as they waited for the next few moments.

The footsteps were louder now. The man gulped in and then bit his lip hard to stop himself from yelling out. The footsteps stopped. He could sense that they had stopped right at the door. He looked down at the door handle and saw it begin to turn, but it never opened. The footsteps started again.

Inside, the young woman and other young man were leaning against the wall near the bathroom. They could see the window, but they could not be seen. Both of them remained silent, until they saw the red gleaming eyes in the window. The woman started to shriek until the young man pressed his hand over her mouth and looked at her sternly. The woman gulped and nodded her head. The eyes seemed to remain there for what seemed like forever staring into the room. And then the footsteps started again and the red eyes went away. The two gave a sigh of relief.

The man then stepped away from the door a little and gave a sigh of relief as well. He was gone………BOOM. The motel room door flew open, falling on the man who had been standing in front of it.

"I knew I'd find you," laughed the shining silver and golden figure with red eyes.

The woman and young man yelled and cried out for their friend who was lying on the ground with the door on top of him. They quickly got up and went into fighting stances even though they were very much afraid.

"Haven't you learned anything? I always win. Your friends were not able to stop me, and I will kill the three of you, just like I did them and every other human. Once I've done that I'll find a way to bring my friends here and do the same to everyone here. What do you think about that?" he laughed.

"Over my dead body!" The young man pushed the door off and in doing so knocked down their hunter. He turned towards his friends. "RUN!" he yelled.

The two quickly ran around them and ran outside in the rain and never looked back. The man then drew a small blaster from his belt and began shooting at the hunter as he made his way out to join his friends.

"I will find you again! And next time none of you will be so lucky!" he yelled as he stood up pushing the door away.

* * *

The thunder banged loudly. "NOOOO!" cried Jen, sitting up in bed. She was breathing heavily.

"Jen?" Wes sat up in bed.

"Oh, Wes. I just had the worst nightmare. I dreamed that Sy-Kee killed you," she cried, wrapping her arms around him.

Wes put his arms around her, holding her close to him. "It's okay. It was just a dream." He kissed her softly on the cheek.

Jen seemed to settle in his arms letting him take care of her. "It felt so real…"

"I'm sure it was nothing. You're not worried about me starting back on full duty are you?" he asked, looking into her eyes. For the past six weeks he had been recovering from injuries that he had received during a mission, and his previous close call when he was shot three times during a stakeout he and Jen had been on.

Jen would not be going back on active duty until after the baby was born. In their line of work it would be far too dangerous. So, for now, Jen was assigned to paperwork and then instructional workouts.

"Maybe, I don't know," she answered softly. She really didn't know what had started the nightmare.

"If it will make you feel better, I'll take a few more days off."

Jen shook her head, knowing Wes had been going crazy ever since his father took him off active duty, and had been counting the days until he could start back. She smiled, knowing he would sacrifice anything for her. But... if that wasn't what was bothering her there was no point in his doing so. "No. It's fine. It's probably just the storm. I'm sure it's nothing."

Wes looked at her and smiled back. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Positive."

"Alright…." He yawned heavily. "How bout we try to get back to sleep. I'm sure Eric will want to whip me back into shape tomorrow."

They lay back down. Wes put his arms around Jen.

"Night, Wes."

"Night, Jen. I love you..."

"I love you too," she said as they began to drift back into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mr. Carter, can you give us a description of the three that stayed in the room?" asked Wes, looking at the owner of the motel.

"Please call me Sam, everyone does," answered the old man who ran the run-down motel. Sam appeared to be a man in poor health. He was skinny, he was missing a few teeth, as for the teeth he had they were very yellow. He had little hair on his head which was a mixture of white and grayish hairs.

Wes and Eric had been called down to the old, beat-up motel because of some property damage that had happened late in the night. Not that it made any difference to the place. The motel looked like it was ready to fall apart.

"Can't say really. Only saw the one, the other two were outside: a young man, about eighteen from what I could tell, and the other a young woman. Didn't get a good look at them," answered Sam.

Wes and Eric looked at each other and nodded. Both of them had no idea why they had been called down here when any two of their men would have been perfectly capable of doing the job. Wes had suspected that his father might have had something to do with it, but he would never call him on it.

"What about the one you saw, he was a man, right?" asked Eric, eyeing Sam.

Sam nodded his head. "Yes, but he had sunglasses on… No idea why though, wasn't bright enough to have to be wearing….." answered Sam as he continued to ramble on.

Wes felt annoyed more then ever. His first day back on active duty and he got stuck questioning a guy who if his head wasn't screwed on would probably lose it. "Sam! So you didn't see his face. What color was his hair?" he asked, trying to calm himself down. He was beginning to lose his patience, which wasn't surprising, considering for the last six weeks he had been doing mostly paper work and interviews for new members of the Silver Guardians.

Sam scratched his chin and thought about it for a moment. "Hmm. Let's see, black…. ah no, it was brown, I think."

Wes and Eric glanced at each other, thinking the same thing. This was a total waste of time. Wes groaned silently to himself. "Did anyone see or hear anything last night?" he asked.

Sam shook his head. "No. We had that storm last night, couldn't hear a thing except the thunder..."

Wes and Eric just looked at each other, both of them were on the breaking point of going nuts. They continued the questions until Sam had come up with three different hair colors and styles. As they were leaving the office, Sam did say something that seemed to chill both of them.

"I do remember this, though; he was definitely scared about something…..like in those movies where people are always in hiding…"

* * *

"Well, that guy was sure a lot of help," Wes said sarcastically, as he and Eric walked up to the room with the missing door. The two started into the room, finding both beds unmade, leftover pizza boxes on a table, along with a few cans of soda and beer.

"What a dump," said Eric, looking around the small motel room.

"Guess this is what ten bucks a night gives you," commented Wes.

The room was fairly small, just big enough for maybe four people. It was dirty and smelled horrible. The bed sheets looked as though they hadn't been washed in years. You would have to be pretty tired if you were going to sleep on those. The wallpaper on the walls was starting to come off, and the ceiling had cracks all over and along the walls. Both of them were surprised not to find the place infested with creeping crawlers.

"I'll check the bathroom," said Eric as he walked around the door, which was still lying on the ground.

Wes continued to walk around the room.

Inside the bathroom it looked a little better than the main room, but not by much. The bath and shower looked to be in working condition. And the toilet appeared to be working. Eric found a few essentials sitting on the counter near the sink: cheap unused toothbrushes, toothpaste, and an off-brand bottle of aspirin. Nothing seemed to stick out. It just appeared that whoever was staying here had bought the supply from a vending machine or had been in a hurry at the market. Eric looked around, seeing if he could find anything else, and spotted a trash can. He picked it up and dumped it. All that fell out were some used Kleenex, paper towels, food wrappers and then a crumpled up piece of paper. Eric grabbed the paper and un-crumpled it. On the paper he found three different locations.

Silver Hills, CA

Angel Grove, CA

Austin, TX

It didn't provide much information, but Eric decided to take it anyway.

Outside of the bathroom, Wes was walking around one of the beds, searching for just about anything. He was finding nothing but a few pillows and extra sheets lying around the bed. Then something shiny caught his eye. A small object was lying on the table next to the lamp. Wes walked around and picked it up.

"Did you find anything?" asked Eric as he walked out of the bathroom.

Wes turned around. "A ring…" Wes looked at the ring more closely; something was familiar about it.

"What's wrong?" asked Eric.

Wes looked up. "Nothing……It just looks like the ring I gave Jen when I asked her to marry me," he answered as he pulled out a small bag from his back pocket and put the ring in it.

Eric took one more quick look around, seeing if he could spot anything, but found nothing. Nothing seemed out of place to him. Everything seemed to be in order, except for the door. "Come on, let's get out of here. We have more important things to do than find out who broke down a door.." mumbled Eric.

Wes nodded his head, agreeing. The two started to head out until Eric stopped and decided to move the door off to the side so no one would trip over it later. As Eric leaned the door against the wall, something that was imprinted on the carpet caught Wes's eyes: black marks that looked like they had been made recently.

"Hey, Eric, look at this…"

Eric turned around and looked at what Wes was pointing at.

"Doesn't that look like…"

"Yeah," replied Eric. Both of them got down on their knees to get a better look. The more they looked at it, the more they knew what had caused it.

"As far as I know the only ones with blaster guns are us rangers and the Silver Guardians," said Wes.

Eric nodded his head, knowing Wes was right. "It couldn't have been any of the Guardians, none of them were stationed anywhere near here last night." Eric ran his finger over the residue left over from the blaster fire.

"Could it have been a ranger? That guy Sam was pretty sure whoever stayed here was scared about something…"

"Maybe, but if it was ranger business I'm sure we would know something. And besides, that guy Sam was also pretty sure the guy had black, brown, and gray hair..." Eric got back up to his feet.

Wes took one more look. "Yeah, you're probably right." He stood up and began to follow Eric back outside. "Did you find anything in the bathroom?"

"Not much. Some unused toothbrushes, toothpaste, a bottle of aspirin and then this note in the trash," answered Eric, pulling the small piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it to Wes.

Wes looked over the note. The only thing that seemed to stick out was that two of the locations had at one time had power rangers, as for the other location it didn't seem to fit. "What do you think it means?"

"You got me. The only evidence we have are the names of three different locations, a ring, and residue of blaster fire imprinted on the carpet." Eric opened the truck's door. "Come on, let's head back to base."

Hiding behind a clump of bushes, three young people watched as the Silver Guardian truck drove off. All three of them were wearing dark clothing, hats and sunglasses.

"We have to get it back!" demanded the woman, looking at the two men.

"We can't. They have it now," the man told her.

The woman got right into his face. "We have to! It's all I have left…" she cried.

The man sighed, feeling her pain, as if all three of them shared the same burden. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Once I get back from my little trip, will see about getting it back," he answered softly.

The woman nodded her head and stepped back, looking back in the direction Eric and Wes had driven off in. The man walked over to the younger man, pulling him aside. "Keep an eye on her; there's no telling what she may do, now that we're here."

The young man nodded his head and then eyed his friend. "I will. But I might ask you to take your own advice…"

The man was silent for a moment and smiled cunningly. "Just worry about yourself and her. I can take care of myself just fine. I'll meet you two at Hillside Park in five days."

With that the young man and woman watched as their partner left them, both of them knowing very well where he was headed, and knew it could only lead to trouble. The young woman grabbed the young man by the shoulder. "Come on, we better go find some place to stay. It's too dangerous for us to be out in the open."


	3. Chapter 3

"So have you guys thought of any names?" asked Taylor.

After work Wes, Jen, Eric and Taylor had gone out together for dinner and a little shopping. Even though Eric and Taylor were no longer dating they still hung out with each other every so often.

"Well, if it's a girl we were thinking of Lucy, it was my mother's name," answered Wes, smiling.

"That nice. What if it's a boy?" asked Taylor.

Jen grinned. "We were thinking of Wesley junior."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Great, just what we need, another Wes. Don't you think one of them is enough to handle?" he grumbled as the four walked down the aisles of the store.

Wes looked over his shoulder. "Well, our first choice was Eric," he smirked.

Eric's eyes widened, as if he was shocked or uncomfortable. Everyone laughed at his expression, it was priceless. Eric cleared his throat. "On second thought, I love the name Wes. Wes is a perfect name." He turned to Taylor. "Isn't that right, Taylor?"

Taylor put up her hands in self-defense. "Hey, don't bring me into this. Besides, I think it would be cute to name their baby after _Uncle Eric_..." She laughed, Wes and Jen laughing along with her.

Eric just shook his head and smiled. "I have no idea why I put up with you three."

"Well, it could be because we're the only ones crazy enough to hang with you," joked Wes.

"WES!" yelled Jen and Taylor as they both playfully swatted him.

Off to the side of one of the aisles, a woman wearing dark sunglasses and a hood over her head watched the four friends as they were looking at baby cribs. She couldn't make out all they were saying, only a few words here and there. She could hear them laughing at times. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. She seemed to be eyeing only one of them in particular, Wes. It was as if there was something about him... Something she should be watching for.

"What do you think you're doing?" She felt a young man pull her to the side, eyeing her. Although she couldn't see the anger and distress in his eyes, hidden behind the sunglasses, she knew he wasn't too happy with what she was doing.

"I was just watching. What's wrong with that?"

"Everything!" He stopped, sensing that other customers were watching them. He turned his head left and right and saw people looking at them questioningly. He waited a moment, eyeing them all, until they walked away. The young man quieted himself; he needed to stay calm and not draw attention. He turned back to the woman. "You know better than any of us why….It's not yet time. When the time comes we will know, but until then we go according to the plan…" he said, softly this time.

The young woman turned her head and watched as Wes and the others passed by with Eric carrying a large flat box. She was silent for a long moment, watching until all four of them were out of sight. "Alright. Let's get out of here..."

* * *

Kim was in the grocery store, shopping with her two young sons. She was in the fruit department gathering apples, oranges and bananas. Trent was in the seat part of the cart, while Tom was sitting in the larger part. While Kim wasn't looking Trent had grabbed hold of an apple. The young boy played around with it for a short moment and then tossed it forward, laughing.

"….Woo, nice throw!" said a voice.

Kim jumped. She quickly turned around and found a man who appeared to be in his late twenties, wearing sunglasses with dark shades and a red baseball cap, holding an apple in his hands.

"I'm sorry, sir…." she started.

He smiled. "It's alright. Your son has a good arm. Probably make a good pitcher someday," he answered handing her back the apple.

Kim smiled as she took it from him. She looked right at him, there was something familiar about him, but she couldn't place it. She laughed lightly. The man gave her an odd look. "I'm sorry. You just remind me of someone I know. Have we met?"

The man seemed hesitant. "…No. I don't think so. I'm new here..." He took a deep breath, realizing he was dragging this on a lot longer than he should. "So you have twin boys, huh?" he said quickly, as he stared at the two boys.

Kim turned and smiled at her little angels. "Yeah. In a few months they'll be a year old."

"Their father must be proud."

Kim's smile faded away. She would always get sad when a stranger made some reference to Tommy, but it wasn't their fault; they had no way of knowing that Tommy was dead. She forced a smile as she turned back around. "Yeah, he would be," she answered softly.

There was a long moment of silence, as he smiled at her faintly. The man then looked at his watch. "Well, I should be going. It was nice meeting you…."

Before Kim had the chance to even say goodbye the man had walked away from her, disappearing through the crowd of other customers. She stood there staring for a long moment trying to figure out why he was so familiar to her. She shook her head, figuring she was just imagining things again. Every so often she would run into someone who reminded her of him. Maybe it was because it was drawing near to the time he had died. She turned back around and began pushing the cart, heading towards the dairy products.

* * *

Wes and Eric were in a room where evidence was stored and examined. They were going over the paperwork about what had gone on at the motel two nights before, and checking over the evidence they had brought back with them. Wes yawned heavily; he hated paperwork, especially this time. They had nothing to go on and they had little evidence, just a piece of paper and a ring. Wes took the items out of storage. He needed to write down a detailed description of the two things they had found at the crime scene along with the finding of blaster fire residue. He set the items on a desk and stared at the note and ring. His eyes widened, as he stared at the note. Something was different, something had changed.

"ERIC!"

Eric looked up from the computer. "What? Don't tell me you don't know how to fill out the paperwork," he grumbled as he got up from behind the computer and walked over to Wes.

"Forget the paperwork, look at this."

Eric got behind Wes. His eyes lit up when he saw it. Something that hadn't been on the note before was there now. "What the heck did you do!" yelled Eric.

"I didn't do it!"

Eric frowned at Wes. "Well, it couldn't have just appeared out of thin air." Something then came to Eric. "Unless?"

Wes turned around in his chair. "Unless what?"

"Let me see the note." Wes turned around, took the note off the desk and handed it to Eric. Eric looked over the note, eyeing it carefully. "Invisible ink. But I don't think that's what we should be looking at."

Wes looked at Eric, confused. "What do you mean? The invisible ink has to mean something…"

"Yes. But did you look closely at the addresses on the note?" asked Eric, looking right at Wes.

Wes glanced at Eric, and then quickly grabbed the note back and read it over. His eyes lit up when he read the last few lines.

"Rose Ave, Silver Hills, CA, 55555"

"That's my address..." answered Wes. His face turned white as a ghost. He wasn't sure if he should be shocked or scared.

Eric crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head. "Yeah. Read the next one."

Wes went down to the next few lines. He read it silently to himself. His eyes lit again. "Holy crap! It's Kim Oliver's address." He looked up at Eric. "What do you think it means?"

"I think the only way to answer that question is to find out who lives at the next addresses. Because if it's what I'm thinking….."

Wes looked at Eric frantically. "What? What are you thinking?"

Eric looked at Wes before heading over to the computer. "What is the one thing you and Kim have in common?" asked Eric.

Wes thought about it for a moment, and then it hit him. "We're both rangers, well, at least Kim was at one time. But what does it have to do with whoever lives in Texas? I don't know anyone in Texas..."

Eric typed the addresses in; the computer began searching for records. "You may not, but someone else may." A few minutes passed until Eric found what he was looking for. "Got it!"

Wes walked over to him. "Jonathan Stewart…." Wes laughed. "I think he's a little too old to be a ranger," he said, looking at the photo the records provided.

Eric nodded his head. "Him, perhaps." Eric typed in another search. A picture of a young man came up. Eric looked back over his shoulder. "You remember Rocky talking about a kid he used to big brother, Justin Stewart? The youngest power ranger ever?"

"Well, how do we know this is the same Justin?" asked Wes, not seeming fully convinced.

Eric did another search for last known addresses. One of them was in Angel Grove. There was a long pause before either Wes or Eric spoke a word. Now they had a link to all three addresses.

"Great, so now we have evidence that links three locations to power rangers, but what could that possibly mean?" asked Wes, looking at Eric.

Eric seemed hesitant; he had been thinking about this for the last few minutes and only one thing came to his mind. Eric sighed. "You really want to know what I think?"

"Yes."

Eric sighed as he turned around in his chair. "I think it may be a power ranger hit list. That may explain why there was blaster fire residue at the motel. Could have been practice shooting, or maybe something worse."

Wes glared at Eric. "You're saying that you think that the three people Sam told us about may want to kill Kim, Justin and me?"

Eric bit his lip, Wes had left someone out. "And maybe Jen..." added Eric softly. Wes backed away sliding into his chair. This was all too much to handle. He wanted it to be wrong, but as of right now it was the only thing that made any sense. That was the only connection all of them had.

Eric bit his lip and then cleared his throat. "I think we need to get hold of Jason; let him know Kim and this Justin kid might be in danger…" Eric then eyed Wes, knowing he wouldn't like this, but it might be for the best. "You might want to think about getting yourself and Jen out of town; let me and the Guardians handle this….."

Wes shook his head. "No way! I'm staying and that's final!"


	4. Chapter 4

Jen was tossing and turning in her sleep, crying out softly. "No Wes… Please I can't lose you…"

Wes had woken up, hearing her soft cries. He moved closer to her, shaking her shoulders gently. "Jen." She didn't wake up, she continued to cry and whimper in her sleep. "Jen honey, wake up…" he shook her again.

Jen's eyes flashed open. Her heart was racing; it took her a moment to remember where she was. She looked around, realizing she was in their bedroom. She let out a breath, feeling relieved that it just had been a dream.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked running his hand down her arm.

She turned her head so she could see his face. "Yeah. I just wish I would stop having this dream; it seems so real. Every time it's the same thing. We're fighting Sy-kee the same way we did before. You jump in front of me taking the blast, you're really hurt…And then something changes; what should have happened didn't. Sy-Kee is powering up getting ready to kill us both, but then you get up with what little strength you have left. You push me away, and then start charging at Sy-Kee. I watch as you set your morpher to self-destruct, as you dive right at him, pushing him through a glass window and then there's this huge explosion……" She began to cry, unable to go on.

Wes quickly drew her closer to him. "Hey. It's alright. It was just a dream. None of that ever happened. I'm here, aren't I?" Wes kissed her gently on the cheek, but there was a look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place, as if there was something he was hiding, but then the look went away, just as quickly as it came.

"I know, but it just feels so real. I can still feel the flames burning….And if what Eric thinks is true, both of us could be in danger..."

Wes gave a faint smile. "I think we can handle three humans; with everything we've been through it should be a piece of cake."

Jen smiled faintly. "I hope you're right."

Wes grinned. "Have I ever been wrong?" Jen looked right at him. Wes laughed lightly. "Don't answer that..."

Jen kissed Wes gently on the lips.

* * *

Kim was pushing Tom and Trent in their stroller, enjoying the nice day. The sun was out, it was a nice cool day for a stroll in the park, and also to stop and visit Tommy's grave. Unknown to her someone had been watching and following her everywhere, keeping their distance, hiding in the shadows.

* * *

Wes was in Jen's office eating lunch with her. He had picked some lunch up for both of them after Eric and he had finished their rounds around the city. "So, anything exciting happen while I was out?" asked Wes as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"No. Nothing really. Just the same old paperwork," she grinned. "I'm beginning to see why you hate going to board meetings..."

Wes laughed. "I told you." Wes knew Jen missed being out in the real action, but both of them felt, along with his father, that it would be too great a risk for the baby. If she ever got shot… They didn't even want to think about that happening. "Look, I know you miss it out there, but as soon as the baby is born and when the time is right you'll be back in no time."

Jen smiled lightly. That had been something she had been thinking about a lot lately. More than she ever thought she would. "That's what I've been wanting to talk to you about..." Her face became serious.

Wes looked at her, not all too sure if he knew where she would be going with this. But in the pit of his stomach he almost sensed what it was going to be.

"Both our jobs at times can be really dangerous, and that's along with being a ranger. We put ourselves at risk every day." Her eyes locked with Wes's. "Almost two months ago, you came close to dying."

Wes bit his lip and dropped his head. He wasn't sure what would have happened if Tommy hadn't brought him out of his coma, for all he knew he could have died. And if it hadn't been for Steelix both of them would have died in that fire.

"I don't think it would be fair to our child to lose both parents..." she said softly.

The room fell silent and both had lost their appetites. Although he wouldn't admit it, Wes had thought about this too. He just never wanted to face the reality, it was one thing to put your own life on the line, but to a kid, specifically his kid, it wasn't fair.

"What are we going to do?" he asked softly….

* * *

Kim stopped the stroller in front of Tommy's grave. She knelt down and placed the white flowers on the ground. The memorial stone read -

'Thomas Theodore Oliver, 1979-2003, 'A true hero'

She stayed on the ground for a while tracing his name with her fingers. Tears sparkled in her eyes as teardrops fell onto the ground, some landing on the flowers. She missed him so much, and would do anything to get him back. But that was impossible. Part of her wished she could go back in time and change things. Plead with Tommy not to make the allotment sacrifice, but what would happen then? She didn't know. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. What would have happened had Tommy gone the other way, and said no? Kim smiled faintly; she then kissed her hand and then pressed her hand on the stone. "I love you Tommy, always," she whispered. She got up and picked up Trent and Tom one at a time, and showed them their father's stone. She knew they were too young to understand, but someday they would. Someday she would be able to tell them that their father died a hero, and he lived a hero's life.

"You guys know that your daddy loves you, right?" she cried.

Tom and Trent giggled soundly. They hadn't started to talk yet, but Kim knew they soon would be, and then they'll be walking, starting school, making friends, falling in love, getting married and someday have children of their own. That was when it finally became a reality to Kim. Tommy would not be there to share all of those moments with her, it would be only her. Sure, she had her family and friends, even Jason…but none of them were Tommy. They did not have that special connection she had shared with him. Although they could fill the void she was missing, they could not replace Tommy, he was one of a kind.

* * *

"Okay, what's eating you?" asked Eric as he reached out his hand and pulled Wes back to his feet. For the last hour the two had been sparring with each other, getting Wes back in shape.

"Why does something always have to be wrong when you knock me to the ground?" asked Wes.

Eric glared right at him." I've done it five times in a row…So as I was saying, what's up?"

Wes finally gave in, knowing one way or another Eric would get it out of him. "Alright, you win..." Wes sighed as he slumped down on one of the benches. Eric sat down next to him. "It's Jen…."

Eric shook his head. "Figures…..Having trouble in the marital world?"

Wes sighed. "Sort of. I guess. I don't know…" He shrugged his shoulders. Nowadays he wasn't too sure of anything.

"What happened?" asked Eric.

Wes wasn't sure even where to begin. "We were having lunch, and then we got to talking about how dangerous our jobs are…..and I guess with a baby and all on the way…. She's afraid that there could be a chance that our job could kill one or both of us at some point…. And with everything that's been happening, she's been thinking about it a lot more. And with there being a chance that someone is out there trying to get us…"

Eric nodded his head, seeming to understand.

"…There's more." Wes turned to look at Eric. His blue eyes became serious. "But I need you to promise that you won't tell anyone… especially Jen," making the last part clear.

"Okay..." answered Eric, not all too sure what he was getting himself into.

Wes paused for a moment. "…Jen's been having this dream. It starts out with her and me fighting Sy-Kee, but it ends differently than before. No light came, no light crystal, or light beam, nothing. I push Jen out of the way and start charging at him, set my morpher to self-destruct, and then boom, explosion…"

Eric seemed confused. "What does a nightmare have to do with anything?"

Wes hesitated for a long moment. "…When I was lying there in her arms, telling her to leave me behind, and she didn't listen, what I did in the dream was going through my mind, but because of Tommy I didn't have to do that…."

Eric's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! You were actually planning to take yourself and Sy-Kee out? And you never told Jen this?" he yelled. He couldn't believe Wes would keep something like this from Jen.

Wes shook his head. "No. Never."

Eric just shook his head. He never thought Wes would ever keep anything from Jen. "If she ever finds out, you know she'll kill you..."

Wes turned to Eric looking annoyed. "Gee thanks…Tell me something I don't know..."

Eric sighed, knowing that right now Wes had a lot on his plate. "Sorry… Look, I won't tell her what you said, but I think _you_ should." Eric's voice was firm.

Wes nodded his head, knowing Eric was right.

"As for the other stuff. You could get killed walking out your front door, at least that's my opinion. But I'm not you or Jen…. But I do know both of you love your jobs, so unless either of you think this is a very good reason not to continue your work as a Silver Guardian…then so be it."

Wes gave a faint smile to Eric. "Not exactly the answer I was looking for…"

"I can't tell you what to do Wes…"

Wes nodded his head knowing Eric was right. "I know." Wes felt Eric grip his shoulder.

* * *

Jason was driving around on his motorcycle when his cell phone began to ring. Making a quick decision, Jason pulled over to answer it. He took off his helmet and set it down in front of him and then grabbed his phone from his belt. "What's up?"

_"Jason, it's Wes..."_

"Hey, Wes, what's up?" answered Jason cheerfully.

_"Sorry but this isn't a social call."_

"Okay?"

_"I've been trying to get a hold of you for the last couple of days..."_

"I just got back into town from a convention, my cell wasn't working there. Is there something wrong?" asked Jason. He looked out ahead and saw Kim pushing the stroller past the graveyard, she probably had gone to visit Tommy's grave. He smiled brightly, thinking that after he finished his call with Wes, he would go and catch up with her.

_"Yeah, I'm afraid so. Eric and I don't know a whole lot, but from what we have been able to gather, there is a chance that Kim and Justin Stewart could be in danger, along with Jen and me…"_

Jason suddenly became alert and kept his eyes locked on Kim's location and began searching around. "Do you know who?"

_"No. All we know is two of them are male and one female."_

"Does Kim know?" asked Jason

_"No, Eric and I didn't want to frighten her, that's why we tried to get a hold of you. Sorry, I know….."_

"No, you did the right thing…" Jason watched as Kim left the graveyard and started in the direction towards her home. That's when Jason saw it. He caught a glimpse of someone watching Kim. He saw that the person had been hiding behind a tree and continued to eye Kim until she was out of sight. He then saw the stalker walk into the graveyard entrance.

_"Jason? Jason, you there?"_

"Sorry Wes. Something's come up. I'll call you later."

"So it is true. You were able to do it….You're a better man than I am, that's for sure." The man wearing the dark sunglasses and baseball cap was looking down at Tommy's memorial stone. "Those are two nice kids you got there….I want you to know, if I knew how things would have turned out, I would have done things differently." The man sighed heavily. "Then maybe, they'd all be okay…"

"HEY!" Jason grabbed the man by the shoulder, forcing him to turn around. "Who are you? And why are you after Kim?" yelled Jason, his eyes full of anger. There was no way he'd let anyone lay a hand on Kim, not if he had anything to say about it.

"What makes you think I'm after……?" And then it hit him. "_The note…drat, the invisible ink must have worn off…" _He knew it would have only been a manner of time until the invisible ink wore off, and of course they would have thought of it as some hit list. "I think that whoever gave you their information misunderstood what they found." He brushed Jason's hand off of him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be going..." He started to walk away but didn't get very far. Jason grabbed a hold of him and pushed him up against a tree.

Jason's eyes were stern. He was not going to let this guy out of his sight, not until he got some answers. "Not so fast, hotshot. Now tell me who you are and what you want!" yelled Jason as he shoved him against the tree again.

The man sighed heavily. "You don't want to do this," he said.

Jason shoved him again. "The hell I don't." Jason could feel his body burning with anger and rage. "Now I won't ask you again! Who are you and why are you after Kim?"

The man sighed. "Jason, please let me go…." And he realized he had made a big mistake.

"I don't remember giving you my name… So if you won't tell me who you are, then you leave me with no choice." Jason quickly removed the sunglasses from the man's face. Jason was speechless, his face turned white as a ghost as he took a few steps back.

"I told you..." answered the man softly.


	5. Chapter 5

"How? You're supposed to be dead!" asked Jason, staring at the mystery man in disbelief. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was Tommy, in the flesh, looking at him face to face. Jason didn't know what to think.

Tommy sighed. He had been afraid something like this would happen. "It's not what you think, Jas..." he started.

"What do you mean? You're alive!" Jason sighed heavily and looked at Tommy, feeling hurt. "And all this time you led us to believe you were dead, and Kimberly - what's she going to say?"

Tommy took a step forward. "She can't know. It will only cause problems; it will only hurt in the end..."

Jason shook his head. He didn't know what Tommy was talking about. What was going on? What did he mean? Why had he let everyone believe he was dead? "I don't understand. Why can't she know? She's your wife, for God's sake! The mother of your children!" yelled Jason, not being able to understand how his friend could be so heartless.

Tommy sighed heavily. How could he possibly understand? "No, she's not….not here anyway…." He stopped suddenly.

Jason looked at him, confused. "What? What are you talking about, of course she is, and what do you mean 'not here'?" Jason shook his head. "Tommy, you're not making any sense…"

Tommy bit his lip and took a deep breath. "I've already said too much." He started to back away, but Jason stopped him by grabbing a hold of his shoulder. Tommy looked right into Jason's face, watching him very seriously. "Let me go, Jason."

Jason shook his head. "No. I lost you once. I'm not going to lose you again…."

"I'm sorry about this, Jason. Believe me, I wish I didn't have to do this, but you leave me with no other choice." Without warning, Tommy quickly broke free of Jason's grip and knocked him over the head. Jason's body went limp and he dropped to the ground, out cold. Tommy took one last look at Jason, as if checking to make sure he would be alright, and then he took off, running, not looking back.

* * *

Eric and Wes were out doing rounds around the city when they saw several people running away frantically. The two Commanders looked at each other and nodded their heads; something big was up. Eric turned on the siren as Wes began to drive towards all the commotion. They continued to see people running past them, but still did not see what it could be that they were running from, until they saw a powerful blast heading right at the truck.

"Holy…….." yelled Wes.

"JUMP!!" yelled Eric, knowing they didn't have much time until impact.

Both men quickly opened their doors and jumped out, rolling to the ground. They both sat up and watched as the truck exploded, sending a wave of fire past them. They dived to the ground again, coughing heavily from the fumes and smoke.

"Well, look what I've found," said a voice.

Wes felt his heart stop. He could feel a shiver go down his back just from the sound of the voice. It was a voice he feared, a voice he hated, a voice that was his worst nightmare. He pushed himself up, looking into the heavy smoke and saw two red lights and a dark shadow. "It can't be…"

"WES!! Look out!" yelled Eric as he ran towards Wes and dove to the ground taking Wes with him, just as a bright blue beam barely missed hitting them.

The hunter then walked out of the smoke and stared at the two. He held a large blaster gun in his hands. He was silver and golden in color, with bright red eyes. Wes's fears had come true. He was back and stronger then ever.

"I missed. What rotten luck," he laughed.

Wes and Eric got a hold of their bearings as they both stood back up, not believing their eyes. It was Sy-Kee. But how? He had been destroyed! And the bigger question was: how was he able to stand the daylight?

"It's impossible. You were destroyed!" said Wes, still not believing his eyes. He had seen with his own eyes when the light crystal beam had hit Sy-Kee. He and Jen both had watched as the leader of the CellBorgs died.

Sy-Kee laughed. "As were you. So you see, red ranger, we're in the same boat."

Wes and Eric looked at each other, confused. What was he talking about? Wes hadn't died. "What's he talking about, Wes?" asked Eric.

Wes shook his head. "I...I...don't know."

Sy-Kee took a step forward, pointing his powerful blaster right at them. "Oh well…It seems I'll get to kill you all over again, and I'll get to take another ranger down with you," he laughed. "Any last words?"

Wes and Eric looked at each other again. It was time to turn up the power. "Time for Time Force!"

"Quantum power!"

The two red rangers went charging at Sy-Kee, as Sy-Kee blasted his weapon right at them.

* * *

"Move it, kid, before they see us," said the woman as she looked down the hall and saw two Silver Guardians.

The young man groaned and shook his head. "This is why there's only supposed to be one leader on a team, having two just gets me into a whole heap of trouble," he mumbled softly as the two slipped past the hall without being seen.

"Quiet, or they'll hear us!" she ordered. She stopped suddenly, hearing voices heading their way; making a quick decision she grabbed her partner by the arm, opened the janitor's closet and pulled him in with her. The two remained silent until the group of people passed by them. They both let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you know what's going to happen when Tommy finds out we came here without him...?"

The woman put her hand over his mouth. "I don't see Tommy anywhere. Do you?"

He shook his head no.

"I'm the one in charge. Got it?" her voice was firm, as she slowly released her hand from covering his mouth.

"Yes ma'am," he grumbled and rolled his eyes. Luckily she hadn't seen him do that because of his sunglasses, otherwise he would only be asking for trouble. He knew very well she wouldn't let anyone get away with anything.

Now that the coast was clear, she opened the door and the two slowly slipped out and continued to walk down the hall. "We're almost there; it should be in the next room on the right…"

"Glad one of us knows where we're going, 'cause I sure don't," he muttered.

* * *

Jason slowly opened his eyes. He felt dazed and confused, and had a headache to go along with that. At first he wasn't sure where he was or how he had gotten here. He slowly pushed himself up, looking around. He was in the graveyard; slowly everything came back to him. "Tommy….I've got to get a hold of Wes and Eric..." Jason quickly ran towards his motorcycle.

* * *

Jen was heading down the hall towards the room where they stored evidence on all of the Silver Guardian cases. She opened the door and that's when she found two people going through the files. She quickly pulled out her blaster, pointing it right at them. "Alright! Turn around slowly and there won't be any problems!" ordered Jen.

The two intruders looked at each other before slowly turning around to face Jen. Jen was unable to identify them, due to their dark clothing, sunglasses and baseball caps, and she didn't lower her blaster. "Okay. I want both of you to slowly get down on the ground, hands behind your backs," she stated.

The two intruders remained still. The young man slightly turned his head and looked over at his partner. "Scotts, we have to get out of here, we're supposed to meet him soon," whispered the young man.

Jen's eyes flashed at the young man. "QUIET! I didn't say you could talk! Now get down on the ground! Now!" she yelled, her voice firm and direct. But before Jen had a chance to react, the woman had pulled a blaster gun from behind her back and pointed it right at her.

Jen's eyes widened, right then and there she had a feeling these two people could be the very same people who were after her and Wes. In any other case Jen's first reaction would be to dive forward and try getting a direct shot, but now, with her being pregnant, it interfered with her actions. Jen raised her hands up, still holding the blaster. "Easy now…You're only going to make it a lot worse later on…."

The woman held her blaster out firmly, her eyes locked on Jen's. "I've been through a lot worse then this….Sorry I've got to do this, but you've left me with no choice." The woman aimed her blaster, getting ready to fire.

Jen's heart raced with fear as she struggled to pull the trigger of her own blaster, but her hands were shaking too much to get a good aim. Jen watched as the woman pulled the trigger; she stood motionless, her eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the hit. She waited….but nothing happened. Jen slowly opened her eyes; she knew she had heard the shot, but she had been unharmed. She looked over at the two intruders, wondering what was going on. That's when she heard a noise from above her. Jen looked up, the woman hadn't been pointing at her; she had been pointing at the sprinkler system. Before Jen could even move the sprinkler broke open and water rushed out, soaking her.

"Come on, let's go!" said the woman, and she and the young man ran past Jen. Jen tried to run after them, but slipped and fell to the ground.

"Damn it!" she yelled.

* * *

Wes and Eric had taken cover behind the remains of their squad truck. Both of them were breathing heavily. "You can't hide forever," they heard Sy-Kee say.

"I thought we took out all the CellBorgs," said Eric, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"So did I…" answered Wes frantically.

"I've got you now!" yelled Sy-Kee as he lifted up the burnt truck, tossing it aside. Wes and Eric both took a step back, getting into their fighting stances. "Now which one of you should I kill first?" stated Sy-Kee as he moved his blaster from left to right either pointing it at Wes or Eric.

Wes and Eric looked at each other, if they didn't think of something quick they both were goners. Suddenly a beam of light hit Sy-Kee several times, throwing him back, and away from Wes and Eric. The two Time Force rangers stared in amazement, stunned. Where had that blast come from? Both of them took a glance around but saw no one.

"Who did that?" asked Wes. He and Eric then turned their attention back to Sy-Kee.

Sy-Kee appeared to be injured; he stared at the two Time Force rangers angrily. "We'll finish this later!" Before they had a chance to use their blaster on him Sy-Kee disappeared.

"You got that right!" said Eric.

Wes and Eric powered down and searched around to see if they could find the source of the beams that had saved them, but nothing was there. It was as if who or whatever helped them was long gone. "Would somebody please tell me what is going on here?" asked Wes aloud.

As if on cue Wes's cellphone began to ring. "Hey, this is Wes..."

_"Wes, it's Jason. You're not going to believe this…"_

Wes looked at Eric. "You might be surprised…"


	6. Chapter 6

Tommy slammed the door of the abandoned warehouse shut. He turned around, looking at his two friends furiously. He was angry and upset, having found out that they had gone to Bio-Lab on their own, without him, and come close to getting caught. He got right into the woman's face, knowing very well it had been her idea.

"What the hell did you think you were doing? It will only be a matter of time before they find out who you two are!" he yelled right into her face.

"Look who's talking! Where did you go, Tommy, huh?" Her eyes widened as she looked right at him. "You went to go see her, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU!" she yelled right back at him just as loud.

Tommy's eyes glared with anger and rage. "What I do with my time is no one's business but my own…" he shot back.

The woman just shook her head. She couldn't believe the way he was acting. "Do you think you're the only one who lost someone? Huh? DO YOU!" Tommy turned his head away. The woman grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look at her. "Let me tell you, we all lost someone!" she roared. She began to choke on her own tears, as she began to remember the one she had lost. "He died in my arms, bleeding to death…begging me to get to safety, to leave him behind..." Her eyes began to sparkle with tears. "We'll never be able to get married, or have children; he's gone. And I'll NEVER get him back. I'll never get my friends back; every single one of them is dead. And my family is all gone. I shouldn't even be here…I shouldn't even exist….." She took a moment to get a hold of herself, wiping her tears away. "So excuse me for wanting to get back the one thing I have left of him…!" she yelled.

Tommy's eyes blazed with anger. How dare she talk to him like that. She had no right. "YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!" he growled. The woman and the young man took a step back, almost frightened. Tommy stopped suddenly, seeing the terror and fear in their eyes. He sighed heavily, trying to calm himself down, but there were just too many emotions building up inside. He closed his eyes, feeling the tears rush down his face. "You think I don't know, if it weren't for me they all still be alive…." He cried softly. "I have to live with that for the rest of my life, knowing that my decision cost millions of lives."

The woman sighed and slowly reached up to put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but Tommy shrugged her away. "I don't need your pity..." he snapped He didn't deserve it.

She looked at him, hurt and angry. "It's not pity….You act as though you don't want me or him as friends; you keep us at a distance. I'm right, aren't I?" she turned, looking over at the young man.

Tommy looked at him, hoping for a no, but the look on the young man's face... He knew she was right. "Whatever….You're right, I do…..So go on, say it," he spat.

The two looked at each other and then back at Tommy. "Say what?" asked the young man.

"Say it was my FAULT! It's no secret that because of me everyone is gone, that they all died.…"

The woman stared Tommy right in the eyes. "You want us to blame you, don't you?"

Tommy didn't answer.

"You think you don't deserve to have any friends," she said softly, taking a deep breath. "You're right, maybe we should blame you." She paused, sighing. "…But no matter what we do, nothing will bring them back, so why cause any more pain and anger when we already have plenty of it?"

Tommy put his head down, sighing heavily. He turned away from them and opened the door.

"Where you going?" asked the young man.

Tommy didn't turn around. "Out. I'll be back later…..And stay here. He's still out there……somewhere. We have to stop him, before what happened to us happens to everyone here…."

"We can't do it on our own, we need help," she said.

* * *

Wes and Eric walked into Jen's office and found her wearing one of the Silver Guardian workout uniforms. Her hair was soaking wet and a towel was wrapped around her shoulders. The two looked at her, wondering what the heck had happened to her. Jen looked at them, concerned; both of them had red marks on their faces and they appeared to be exhausted.

"What the hell happened to you two?" she asked while she was drying her hair.

"We could ask you the same thing," answered Eric as he took a seat in the chair in front of Jen's desk. Wes walked around and sat down in the chair that was closest to Jen.

"Tell you what, why don't you go first and then I'll tell you what happened here," suggested Jen.

Eric looked over at Wes, knowing very well Wes did not want to let Jen know that Sy-Kee was here. The two Commanders were silent pondering whether or not to tell her. Jen looked back and forth at the two, knowing very well they were hiding something, and it wasn't good.

"What's going on? Wes?" she asked, looking at her husband.

Wes turned his head away, not answering. How could he just tell her that Sy-Kee was back? With her having those dreams he knew it would just put more concern and stress on Jen, which was something she didn't need.

Jen then turned to Eric, looking for him for answers. Eric bowed his head down, not answering either. "Is one of you going to talk or do I have to pry it out of both of you! And don't think I won't!" she yelled.

Eric looked up over at Wes. "Wes, you have to tell her."

Jen looked back over at Wes waiting for him to tell her what happened to them. "Wes?" she said again.

Wes sighed heavily, he didn't want to tell Jen. The last thing she needed was to know Sy-Kee was alive, which he knew would cause a lot of problems. Jen hadn't been too much of herself for the past few weeks; with her being pregnant it seemed to be causing a lot of emotional problems. He slowly turned his head around to look her in the eyes. "….Sy-Kee's back," is all he said.

Jen's eyes widened. "W-What? But how? He was destroyed?"

Eric chewed on his lip. "Yeah, apparently he's not the only one we thought was destroyed," he added dryly.

"What do you mean?" asked Jen.

Wes and Eric shared a look with each other, and then turned back to Jen. "Jason found one of the guys who we had thought was after you, Wes, Kim, and Justin…. It's Tommy," said Eric, stopping as he mentioned Tommy's name.

Jen's eyes lit up, she was shocked to say the least. But that did explain a few things. "Now it makes sense," said Jen. The two looked at her, confused. What was she talking about? None of this was making sense.

"What?" asked Wes.

Jen licked her lips. "The other two, they came here. They were after that ring…..they had a chance to shoot me, but didn't. Instead they shot the sprinkler system, which is why I'm all wet..." said Jen.

"You're okay though, right?" asked Wes putting his arm around her quickly. He didn't know what he would have done, if Jen had been shot.

Jen nodded her head, and reached for Wes's hand, holding it gently. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just glad you're okay….with Sy-Kee back…"

Wes shook his head. "I know…"

Eric got up from his seat and walked around, thinking hard about the whole situation. "So what we first originally thought isn't the case. They don't seem to want to kill any of you…"

"Yeah, but that's still nothing to go on," said Wes.

Eric thought about it for a moment, and then he stopped right in front of Jen's desk. He stared at the two, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. "Maybe not." Eric looked right at Wes. "Wes, we left out one of the most important pieces of evidence…. the ring you found..."

"Yeah, so?" Wes shook his head. "And it won't be much help to us now, they got it back..." he said.

Eric nodded his head. "Yes. But when you found it, you told me it was the same ring you had given Jen when you asked her to marry you, remember?"

Wes and Jen looked at each other and then back to Eric. They didn't see where this was going. "Yeah, so what does that have to do with the list of addresses and Tommy?" asked Wes, not seeing where Eric was going with this.

"Think about it. The list had Tommy's address on it, along with yours and Justin's. Now the ring has to have some kind of connection, and that connection is it was the same ring you had given Jen…"

"Are you saying that the other two people are Jen and Justin?" Wes laughed. "Eric, that's impossible; Jen has been with me…."

Eric nodded his head, knowing that it did sound crazy. "I know it sounds crazy, but….."

"It might not be as crazy as you think it is….." said Jen, feeling very uneasy; Wes put his arm around feeling very concerned.

"What do you mean?" asked Eric.

Jen took a deep breath. "I couldn't see their faces, but I did hear one of their names. The guy called the girl Scotts……"

Wes and Eric's eyes lit up. Scotts was Jen last name before she married Wes.

"What the heck is going on here? First Sy-Kee, then Tommy, and now this," said Wes. He began to wish it was what they had first thought: that someone was out to get them.

"I think there is a lot more to this than we know, a lot more," said Eric.


	7. Chapter 7

Later that night, Wes and Jen were getting ready for bed to settle down for the night. The events earlier in the day were still very deep in both of their minds. Jen was already in bed waiting for Wes to join her. She saw him walk out of the bathroom, moving rather slowly. She knew he was doing everything possible to hide any aches and pains of fighting Sy-Kee today.

Wes climbed into bed and got under the covers. He was getting ready to turn off his lamp, when, "Wes?"

He turned around and looked at her. He could see concern in her eyes. "Are you okay? Do you need something?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm fine." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I want to know if you're okay?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly.

Jen gently rubbed his shoulder. "If something was bothering you, you'd tell me, right?" asked Jen, sensing that Wes was hiding something from her.

Wes was silent for a moment. "Of course I would. I'd never hide anything from you Jen, you know that," answered Wes giving her a warm kind smile.

Jen looked into his eyes, trying to see right through them. There was something there, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She smiled back at him kindly. "I know," she said softly. Jen then leaned closer to Wes and kissed him on the lips.

Wes leaned over and turned the lamp off. He then lay back down taking her with him. Jen wrapped her arms around him, laying her head close to his. Wes could feel his heart being eaten away. He hated to lie to Jen, but he just couldn't let her know what had been bugging him. It would only make her worry and be angry with him, if she ever found out.

* * *

She held out her hand, looking at the thin shiny ring around her finger, how it sparkled in the light. It was all she had left. There were no pictures, no other pieces of memory. All of it had been destroyed. All she had was this and her memories, but now even those had begun to fade further and further away. She was starting to forget the sound of his voice, what it felt like to be held by him, how it felt when her lips touched his. As hard as she tried, everything was starting to drift away. Perhaps it was better this way, easier to go on, but that still didn't heal her very broken heart. Her heart had been broken into a thousand pieces that day. The day he had given his life for hers; a big part of her wished she had died with him; at least then they would be together. Small tears ran down her face, she didn't want to forget, she didn't want to let go. Her heart felt numb and hopeless, because she knew there was no going back. He was gone forever and she'd never get him back.

Her sobbing woke the young man lying on the dusty floor in a torn sleeping bag. He sat up and walked over to her. He sat down next to her and rubbed her shoulder gently. Although he had never witnessed the love between her and the one she longed for, he knew they had shared a lifetime's worth of love. He could just tell by the look in her eyes. She tried so hard to go on and be brave, but deep inside she was breaking apart, because she was not ready to let go.

"I'm starting to forget him. I don't want to forget," she cried.

The young man couldn't help but cry. He could see and feel the very same sadness and heartache in her as in his own heart. He too had his pains of sorrow and sadness. "That's not possible, you never forget the ones you love…" he said softly. He sighed heavily, taking a deep breath, but it hurt so much; he felt a great pain and sorrow in his heart, a pain that felt like it would never go away. "We may forget what their voices sounded like and what it felt like to hold them close to us, but we will never forget what they meant to us and how much they loved us and we loved them…" he said softly.

She cried heavily, feeling tears rush down her cheeks, some of her teardrops landed on her ring and a memory began to unwind.

_They were together in the park, laughing and enjoying the nice sunny day. She remembered they were laughing and chasing each other throughout the park, making total fools of themselves, but they didn't care. She remembered jumping him and how they rolled down the grassy hill together. When they came to a stop she was right on top of him. They looked each other in the eyes, smiling happily. She leaned down and kissed him deeply on his lips. He put his arms around her holding her close. Once the kiss ended she remembered seeing him pull something out of his pocket. It was a ring. The most beautiful ring she had ever seen. He had the biggest smile on his face while he looked into her eyes._

_ "Will you marry me?" she remembered he said. She never said a word instead she answered by kissing him deeply……._

Soft tears slid down her cheeks from the happy memory. She turned her head, looking at the young man. She smiled faintly at him. "Thanks. We never really forget, do we?" she asked.

He smiled kindly at her. "No. We just learn to go on, even if at times it seems impossible….My dad taught me that," he answered sadly.

She then felt guilty, here she was all worked up about the loss of her lover and here was someone younger than her helping her with her pain, when he had plenty of his own. "Oh, I'm sorry…. Here I am crying about my problems and you lost people you care about too…"

"It's okay. I've had a lot of practice, my mom died when I was just a kid…."

She wiped her face clean. "But still....."

He sighed deeply. "It's hard sometimes, but I'm doing okay. The one we should really be worried about is Tommy…"

She nodded her head. "I know he keeps it all in…." She looked around the room of the warehouse. It was dark, only a few lights were working but they were fading in and out. "I wonder where he is?"

* * *

He didn't know where he was going. He had nowhere to go, no one to see. As far as anyone else was concerned he was dead, here at least. So he just kept on walking wherever his feet would carry him, but he knew sooner or later he would have to go back. He couldn't leave those two on their own to fend for themselves, he owed them that much. It was because of him they had lost everything. They were all that was left, at least what was left of what was good, although right now he didn't feel like much of a good guy. He didn't feel like the hero he once had been, the hero who had risked his life to save everyone. He had done it countless times, without question. All but this time. No, this time he hadn't been that hero. This time he hadn't wanted to. He hadn't wanted to give up the one thing he knew he would have to, and because of that, everything any of them knew and loved was gone. He looked up to night sky seeing the stars and moon shining brightly.

"You're the real hero; you know that." He laughed softly at himself, or at something; he didn't know. "It should be me up there. And you should be here….with her, those boys." He sighed heavily. "You're really something." He bowed his head down shamefully. "Something I'm not…."

"Oh…Still upset about the demise of your home," said a voice. A voice he knew all too well. Tommy turned around quickly and found Sy-Kee facing him.

"Sy-Kee!" Tommy quickly got into a fighting stance.

Sy-Kee laughed darkly. "Do you really think you can stop me? You're not a Power Ranger anymore, remember," he laughed. Sy-Kee began to walk around Tommy, mocking him. "Tell me how those it feels to know it was your fault that every human lost their lives..." Sy-Kee's eyes glowed brightly, looking right at Tommy.

Tommy began to feel rage and anger build up inside him. "Shut up!" he yelled.

Sy-Kee laughed, knowing he was getting Tommy right where he wanted him. "You and your friends must want to know how I ended up here. You all thought you were rid of me and my army….." he snarled.

"I don't care how you got here, all I care about is killing you even if I have to go down with you," said Tommy feeling rage flow through his veins.

"You should care. I just may be able to send for my army to come here. How would you like that?" Sy-Kee's voice sent chills down Tommy's back.

Tommy could feel his heart racing with fear. "You're lying!"

"Am I?" he laughed. "I'll be seeing you, Tommy…" he hissed. Tommy watched as Sy-Kee disappeared into the darkness.

Tommy felt his knees give away and he dropped to the ground. He was filled with so much pain, rage and self-blame. Tears filled his eyes. He didn't know what to do anymore. "She's right we can't do this on our own..." he said softly.


	8. Chapter 8

Eric got out of his truck and closed the door behind him. He had been on his way home when he got a call saying that someone reported seeing strange activity happening at an abandoned warehouse that hasn't been used in years. It was just nearing dark when Eric had arrived. He looked around at the old building; everything seemed quiet.

Eric walked up to the door; he had his blaster gun ready just in case. He slowly opened the door, holding the blaster out in front of him. He stepped in, looking in every direction, but could see little. It was total darkness. Eric reached for his flashlight from his harness, and turned it on. With one hand he held his blaster firmly, while his other hand used the flashlight to guide him. The flashlight offered just a little light, but enough for Eric to see. He saw a few torn blankets and sleeping bags, scraps of food, and other trashy looking stuff that he didn't recognize.

"Strange activity? Ha." Eric reached for his radio. "Command Base, come in, this is Commander Myers."

_"We read you, Commander."_

"I checked out the location; it's clean. Probably just a bunch of homeless people looking for a place."

_"Thank you, Commander. I'll cancel the backup."_

"Alright. I'm out of here, Myers out." Eric turned off his radio and put it back on his belt. He took one more look around just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He then headed for the door. The next thing he knew something had hit his head hard and then everything went black.

* * *

Eric was drifting in and out of consciousness. He opened his eyes slightly, but everything was a blur. He felt dizzy and dazed like the whole room was spinning.

"You didn't have to do that; we can trust him," said a voice. It was female, from what Eric could gather, and vaguely familiar to him.

"I want to be sure. There's no telling what could have happened when the CellBorgs were here..." said another voice. It was male, strong and firm and his voice, too, seemed familiar to Eric.

Eric tossed his head around as he was slowly coming back from being knocked out. He hadn't been able to pick up on much of they were saying. The voices drifted from being loud, then soft, and then nothing.

"He's waking up." It was another male voice but it sounded younger than the male who had spoken before. The three stared at Eric, looking at him in the little light from the ceiling, while they hid in the shadows.

Eric opened his eyes slowly, he could barely make out three people hiding in the shadows. It was too dark to tell who they were. Eric then tried to stand up, but was unable to. That's when he noticed he had been handcuffed to a chair. The Silver Guardian Commander struggled to get free but was unable to. He then tried to yell out, but his mouth had been taped up.

"Settle down, Eric, you wouldn't want to hurt yourself, would you?" said the male voice. Eric knew that voice, it was Tommy's. Jason had been right, Tommy was alive. "I'm sure you know who I am, thanks to Jason. But that's not important." Tommy took a deep breath as he stepped forward out of the dark shadows and came into the little light that was just above Eric.

Eric's eyes lit up. He still couldn't believe that it was Tommy standing right in front of him. It was so unreal. "I need to know I can trust you. It may seem like a stupid question, considering at one time we did fight alongside each other, but I have my reasons. Can I trust you?" he asked.

Tommy was right, it did seem like a stupid question to Eric. Why would Tommy be asking him if he could be trusted? It didn't seem to fit in. Eric gave Tommy a confused, he wasn't sure how he should answer or whether he should trust Tommy. Something just didn't seem right.

"Here this should tell us," said Tommy.

Eric watched as Tommy pulled a small device out of his pocket. It looked to be some scanner of some type. Tommy then moved closer to Eric and ran the scanner around his neck. Eric did not know what the point of this was, but he was sure he find out soon enough.

"Good, you're clean. Alright guys, you can step forward they haven't gotten to him," said Tommy.

They? Who's They? Eric wondered. What was Tommy talking about who hasn't gotten to him?

The two who had been with Tommy now stepped forward to finally reveal who they were. Eric's face turned white as a ghost. He couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. If he had ever been confused about anything he sure was now.

"Hello Eric, it's good to see you again…" she said softly.

Eric was still in shock from seeing the identity of the other two. But how is this possible? This was one more question to add to the list. A list of questions Eric needed answers for.

Tommy then moved in front of them, and then took the tape off of Eric's mouth gently. "Sorry about the whole knocking you out thing, but from where we come from you can't be too careful," said Tommy.

"Where you come from? What are you talking about?" asked Eric.

"We have a lot of explaining to do." Tommy dropped his head slightly and gave Eric a very serious look. "And I'm afraid you will not like what you have to hear…" he said softly.

Eric then noticed something about all of them that he hadn't seen until just now. They all appeared to be tired and weary as if they all carried the weight of the world on their shoulders. He could sense a great sadness among them, something was wrong, very wrong, something bad had happened. And he knew just by looking at them that whatever had happened to them was probably more than he would ever dream of.

* * *

The next day Jen and Wes were in their living room. Early in the morning they had gotten a call from Eric saying he needed to speak to them. He wouldn't say what it was about, only that it was important.

"Did he say anything else?" asked Jen as she sat down on the couch next to Wes, taking a sip of her coffee.

Wes shook his head. "No, only that it was very important and it would be too dangerous to say on the phone," answered Wes as he set his mug onto the coffee table. Jen turned to Wes looking at him with concern. It wasn't like Eric to be so secretive; they both knew whatever it was, it had to be very important.

"Do you think it has something to do with Sy-Kee?"

Wes shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe. That would explain why he wouldn't say on the phone..."

Jen nodded her head, knowing that if it had something to do with Sy-Kee that it was possible for Sy-Kee to listen in on their calls. Not a second later Wes's morpher beeped. Wes and Jen looked at each other; this was it. Wes bit his lip, almost afraid to answer. Whatever Eric had to tell them it wasn't going to be good, that point had been clear by the sound of Eric's voice. It sounded shaken up and frightened.

Wes took a deep breath before answering. Jen placed her hand on Wes's shoulder and nodded her head. It was time. "Go ahead Eric."

_"We're here, we came to the back door. Is everything clear?"_

"Yeah. My dad let the staff off for the day and he left about an hour ago for a meeting. He said he'd be there most of the day."

_ "Good. See you in a few."_

Wes and Jen waited in the living room for what felt like forever, even though it had been three minutes since Eric had contacted them. The two didn't know what to think. They both were scared and concerned as if their very lives depended on what Eric needed to tell them. Both of them felt uneasy as Eric walked into the living room alone. Wes and Jen looked up at him. Eric looked as though he hadn't gotten any sleep, he appeared restless and anxious.

"You said 'we', when you contacted us. Where are the others?" asked Wes, expecting to see someone along with Eric.

Eric didn't answer at first. He licked his lips, he felt very uneasy. He didn't know how he should act or whether what he was about to do was a good idea. He knew this was the last thing Wes and Jen needed, but he also knew if they were going to stop Sy-Kee they had to know, no matter how painful or how confusing it all might be. Eric took a deep breath, gathering up his courage. "….Yeah, I did," said Eric softly. He stopped, not knowing how to start this out. What to say or how to say it. It wasn't like this was going to be an easy thing to do.

Wes and Jen looked at Eric, concerned. This wasn't like Eric at all. He looked scared; more scared than both of them ever thought possible. "Eric, is everything alright? You don't look too good..." asked Wes, concerned.

"Eric, just tell us what is up or what is wrong. I'm sure once you do, you'll feel a whole lot better," said Jen.

In most cases that probably would be true, but if only she knew. Eric sighed heavily; no matter what he wouldn't feel better, not after what he had learned, and he would have to hear it all over again. It was just too much to bear. Eric bit his lip and took another deep breath. Time to get this over with, here goes nothing. "I wish it were that simple, but this time it's not going to be. I'm afraid what I found out wasn't good…." Eric sighed heavily.

Wes and Jen could feel their hearts sink. What could it possibly be that it's hard for even Eric to spit it out?

Eric turned his head towards the kitchen entrance where they had been waiting. "It's time, guys, you can come in…" said Eric softly. Knowing that what would happen next would come as a shock, be painful, confusing, and all too much to handle, but there was no other way.

Wes and Jen waited as three people walked into the room and stood right behind Eric. The room seemed to stop as the three strangers were revealed. But there was one who caught both Wes' and Jen's eyes so that neither one knew what to say or think. They weren't prepared for this. It was as if all time had stopped. The person who both of them couldn't believe they were seeing was…Jen.

For a long moment Wes looked back and forth at the two Jens, as if to check that he wasn't just seeing things. But it wasn't just him, everyone else saw it. And from the looks of it Jen was taking this the hardest; how was it possible for there to be two of her?

Tommy then stepped forward, getting in front of Eric. He looked at Wes and Jen sadly, he hated to do this to them, but they needed their help. "I'm sorry. I know this must be hard on the two of you..." He then turned and looked over at Jen who was standing next to the young man whom Eric had recognized as Justin. "And you.." he sighed. He could see how painful this was for her, after everything that had happened to them. Tommy turned back, looking at Wes and Jen. "But I'm afraid we didn't have much of a choice, we need help in defeating Sy-Kee….I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and we'll do our best to answer them, but some of the answers you may not like……" Tommy bowed his head, sighing. "…What am I saying? You won't like them. In fact it may be very difficult for you to hear…" Tommy sighed again.

Wes looked over at Eric and he could swear he could see tears building up in Eric's eyes. That's when Wes knew something terrible had happened. Wes then grabbed a hold of Jen's hand, having a feeling both of them were going to need it. "Whatever it is we're here to listen to…" said Wes, knowing he was going to regret saying that.

Jen held on to Wes's hand tightly. She wasn't sure why, but she had a feeling that this was her worst nightmare come true.

In the next few moments, Eric and the others gathered around on the other pieces of furniture getting ready to tell their story.

Tommy dropped his head and grasped his hands together, as if praying for help in explaining what happened. He sighed heavily, he had heard once the more you talk about something the easier it gets, but somehow he knew this would never get easier no matter how much he talked about it. "Okay…." And just as he was about to tell them, they all heard a knock at the door….


	9. Chapter 9

The knocks continued as everyone remained silent and still. Perhaps they would just go away, when no one answered the door. But that wasn't happening, the person or persons seemed very determined to come in.

"Wes, was someone supposed to stop by today?" asked Eric.

Wes thought about it for a moment and then turned to Jen. Both their faces became very alert. "Oh no!" both of them said.

That was something no one wanted to hear. Wes and Jen turned back, looking at the others. "It's Jason, Kim and Rocky, we were going to have brunch with them today…I forgot all about it," said Wes, knowing this wasn't good. He had a feeling it wouldn't be good getting them involved, even though Jason already knew about Tommy. But they knew once Kim found out it would only lead to trouble and perhaps heartbreak on both sides.

The knocks continued over and over. Everyone's hearts were racing. "Maybe they'll just go away…" and just as Justin said that...

"Rocky. I can't believe you did that, they might not be home!" yelled Kim, she was holding onto Trent and Jason had Tom in his arms.

"It's not like I broke in, I used the key. And besides I'm hungry," said Rocky as he placed the key back under the mat and pushed open the door.

Rocky started in and found Wes and Jen sitting in the living room. He then noticed they weren't alone. He saw Eric sitting in a chair off to the side and saw the backs of three others who were sitting on the couch.

Jason and Kim followed behind Rocky. "Oh. You guys have company..." said Rocky.

Wes looked up at them. "Sorry guys, but this really isn't a good time," said Wes.

"No..." Tommy sighed. Jason had seen him before, and he knew they too needed to know, no matter how painful it would be. "They should know," Tommy stood up and turned around to face them.

Kim and Rocky just stood frozen in time, they couldn't believe it. It was Tommy. Here, alive.

"Tommy?... Tommy!" Kim, feeling overwhelmed with emotions, quickly handed Trent to Rocky and went running towards Tommy, tears in her eyes. She threw her arms around him, holding him close to her. "I thought I lost you forever," she cried.

Tommy hesitated at first, unsure of what he should do. He felt joyful and uncomfortable at the same time. It wasn't her fault, she didn't know. He slowly put his arms around her, but it didn't feel the same. It was as if they were two strangers hugging each other for the first time.

Jason looked right at Eric and saw something he didn't like. Something in his eyes told him there was more to this, more than they ever dreamed. What Tommy had been trying to tell him was real. Both he and Rocky watched as the other two strangers stood up and showed themselves to the two. Both of them were more than just shocked to find one of them being Jen, as far as they knew Jen had no twin sister. But the other came as an even bigger shock for Rocky. He stepped forward, not believing who he was seeing.

"Justin?"

Justin didn't answer, just shook his hand and gave a faint smile.

Tommy pulled away from Kim and slightly pushed her away from him. She looked up at him, hurt and confused. Something was wrong. Even the way he held her was different. Tommy sighed heavily. He hated doing this to her, but he just couldn't… "I'm sorry. But I'm not Tommy." He bit his lip seeing the confusion in her eyes. "At least not the Tommy you knew..."

Kim shook her head. What was he talking about? "W-What do you mean?" she asked on the verge of tears. He just had to be Tommy. He looks and sounds just like him. It just had to be her Tommy.

* * *

In the next few moments everyone found a seat and sat down, with Tommy, Justin and Jen being the center of attention. Tommy turned, looking at both Justin and Jen, making sure they were ready for this, or at least halfway ready. It had been hard to explain to Eric what had happened to them and even harder for Eric to listen. He nodded his head; it was time, time for them to tell their story of a different ending, an ending that had cost millions of lives.

"We're not from around here, which is why another Jen and Justin are exist and why I'm here, alive…" Tommy started.

"Call it another dimension or even an alternate universe. Call it whatever you want…" Justin added.

Tommy nodded his head. "Yeah….You see, when the CellBorgs came to our home things didn't turn out the same as they did here... We come from a dark and lonely place. Where we are all that is left of the human race. The CellBorgs quickly took over, wiping out every power ranger and human. Some humans were even put under control, from the technology they gathered from the morphers they figured out how to make a small device, so small it's not visible by the naked eye. There was nothing we could do. We had to take them out… They had been turned into mindless robots doing whatever bidding the CellBorgs ordered them to." Tommy bowed his head down.

"How long have you been here? Why haven't you tried to contact us before?" asked Wes.

"We've been here about two months now. We hadn't planned on coming here, we had hoped we had found a way to travel back in time with the technology from Jen's and Justin's morphers combined, but we ended up here." Tommy sighed; they had hoped they could change what had happened, but sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to. "We weren't sure what had happened here; for all we knew the CellBorgs could have already taken over and placed mind control implants into every human."

"Why were you trying to go back in time? Here, we were able to defeat the CellBorgs, but wouldn't it have turned out the same where you're from?" asked Kim.

Tommy sighed heavily, the guilt of that day still haunted him, and would haunt him until his dying day. The room was silent, giving Tommy and the others time, time to explain why none of them could sleep anymore.

And somehow Jason knew, he could just see it in Tommy's eyes. "You said no, didn't you?" asked Jason. His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

Tommy looked up and met Jason's eyes, and nodded his head. His eyes then fell on Kim. "Yes I did. I said no, and because of that it's all gone…….." Tommy sighed as the memory of that day unfolded in his mind. He could still hear Zordon's words play over in his mind, and he could still see the look on Billy's face.

_ "Tommy…" Billy struggled. He hated having to do this, but he didn't have much of a choice._

_ Tommy shook his head no. He had made his decision and it was final. In the past he had dropped everything to do the bidding of others, but this time he just couldn't do that. "I know why you contacted us, Billy, but I'm sorry. I..I just can't do it..." He turned, looking over at Kim, only a couple months pregnant. "I can't leave Kim behind, not with a baby on the way." Tommy sighed heavily and turned his attention back to Billy, "So I'm sorry, the answer is no..." Tommy would never forget the look on Billy's face. Although he knew Billy understood his decision, he knew he was very shocked and surprised, it was so unlike him. But some things were more important, or so he thought._

_ "I...I understand…." The connection with Billy then ended._

Tommy ran his hands over the top of his head and down his face. He could kill himself for saying no. Everyone could tell that wasn't the end of it, there was more, lots more and they knew this story did not have a happy ending.

"Then what happened?" asked Rocky. Kim slapped Rocky over the head.

"Give him time, Rocky, can't you see this is upsetting him?" said Kim.

Tommy looked at Kim for a moment. She still was caring and loving, just as he remembered. Always thinking of him first, being there for him, just as she was back in high school, but the only difference now was she wasn't his. "I can see it even now. Watching the battle on the screen with Kim and Aisha. Explosions were going off all over the place, smoke and fire was everywhere…I remember hearing their screams, the pain, the fear, all of it. I can still see it over and over….."

_ The fire and smoke was so powerful that it almost felt like their eyes were burning just from watching it on the screen. Or perhaps it was just the sensation of what they knew would come next. Tommy, Aisha and Kim watched as their friends fell in battle. The rangers had collapsed, force-demorphing into a huge explosion._

_ "NOOOO!" cried Tommy, Kim and Aisha. They watched for long moments waiting for movement, but saw none, only the lifeless, half burnt bodies of once prized heroes. There was a long moment of silence. The command center never had been so quiet until now. It just couldn't end like this…_

_ "Zola, are they...?" asked Aisha. There was fear in her voice._

_ "I am sorry, rangers. I no longer sense them in the morphing grid," answered Zola._

_ The command center fell silent once again; none of them ever thought it was possible. They couldn't be gone. The power rangers can't be defeated, but indeed they were. The mighty power rangers had come to an end in one huge explosion, it all had ended before their very eyes. And they all wondered how long would it be until the other ranger teams fall in battle? How would it end for them?_

_ Tommy held Kim close to him, turning her head away from the screen. He could feel his heart aching deep inside. It hurt even to breathe and he knew this pain would never go away. He watched as the flames continued to burn, his face cringed up and tears sparkled in his eyes. "It can't be…..Please..." he cried._

_ Aisha eyes sparkled with tears as she watched the CellBorgs walk around the lifeless bodies of her friends, people she had come to love. There was nothing left of them, Zordon's once proud legacy was gone. "I'm so sorry, guys.." she cried._

_The next events that took place Tommy would never forget, as if they were forever imprinted in his very soul. He and Kim were holding onto each other for support for the loss of their friends. That's when they heard it, a blood curdling scream. Aisha's scream startled both of them. That's when they saw it, those red glowing eyes staring right at them. The CellBorgs somehow must have logged onto the morphing grid through the morphers and found them here. _

_Aisha__ never had a chance, both Tommy and Kim watched as the CellBorgs blasted at her several times over, without even a thought. They watched as she collapsed to the ground, and with her last breath..._

_"Run…" Aishia's head then dropped, her eyes closed shut forever..._

_AISHA!" cried Kim, tears running down her cheeks. She had started to run towards her fallen friend, but Tommy held her back._

_Tommy shoved Kim behind him, his heart was racing with fear. He never had been so scared in all his life. He could fight them, but there were too many. There would be no way for him to defeat all of them. Tommy knew they might only have one chance. "Zola, set the command center for self-destruct!" He hated to do it; the command center might be their only link to know how the world as well as the other ranger teams were doing, but it was their only chance._

_"Setting for self-destruct, you'll have about five minutes to get out of here, Tommy and Kimberly. Good luck and may the power protect you…" Those were the last words Tommy and Kim ever heard from Zola. He turned to Kim, grabbing her hand, just as the CellBorgs started to approach the two._

_"Come on Kim, we have to get out of here," said Tommy. He started for the exit, but Kim wouldn't move._

_"What about Aisha, we can't leave her..." cried Kim. She just couldn't leave her best friend behind._

_Tommy turned and looked back over at Aisha's bloody body. He sighed heavily; he hated to leave her behind, just as much as Kim did. But there was no time. Tommy turned back, looking at Kim, heartbroken. "There's nothing we can do for her, she's gone…" he said softly._

_Kim took one last look at Aisha, hoping to see her move or even say something. But no movement or words came, she really was gone. _

Tommy stopped; it was almost too much for him. It was like watching a movie all over again, only he knew this movie didn't end happily. His eyes were red and weary from restless sleep haunted by guilt and nightmares.

It was a terrible sight for everyone to watch. No one ever thought it would be possible to see Tommy scarred up inside. It was the hardest of all on Kim. Her heart just hurt so much that all she wanted to do was run to him, throw her arms around him and make everything better, but somehow she knew that wasn't going to work, not this time.

Jen and Justin both knew this was hard on Tommy, to tell his part in the nightmare they had all lived. Jen grabbed a hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze and Justin patted Tommy gently on the shoulder.

"I'm okay. I just need a minute…" Tommy assured them. He then dried his eyes clean. He took a deep breath, preparing to finish his story of how he lost it all. "….We were running. Kim and I. Running like we never had before. All I could think about was getting her out of there, getting her to safety. But there were so many after us. I wasn't sure how much time was left, and that's when we heard it. A huge explosion….We stopped just for a moment, but it all happened so fast….The walls began to shake. The ground above us was starting to give way, dirt and rocks were sliding down….God, I tried so hard to get her out of there, but I never saw it coming." Tommy bit his lip hard. "A large piece of rock fell on top of my head. Everything was going so fast, spinning all around, then it all went black. I thought I had a hold of her…." He cried, feeling tears rush down his face.

_Tommy awoke with his head throbbing and vision slightly blurry. He placed his hand right on the spot where the rock had hit him; he felt something wet. He moved his hand away and stared at it. It was blood. "Ah man." Then something hit him, a greater fear that was worse than blood, Kim. "Oh no! Kim!" He searched around frantically for her. "Kimberly! Kim!" he cried out. She was nowhere in sight. Tommy's heart was racing, she couldn't be... He couldn't have lost her too. Tommy then looked behind him in the direction he had come from. But she wasn't there, only a pile of dirt and rocks blocking the way back in. Tommy shook his head no. "NO!" he yelled. _

_He began digging and moving the rocks, one at a time. His fingers were bleeding, but he didn't care, that pain did not compare to losing Kim. He wasn't prepared for what happened next, the next rock he moved._

_"Oh God.__ No!" he cried. There was Kim, or what was left of her. She had been crushed, probably dead instantly, at least that's what Tommy hoped. He could never forgive himself if she had died in pain. His hands shook as he went to touch her cheek. It felt so cold. Her face was covered in blood and dirt. "I'm so sorry…"He had not only lost his friends and wife this day, but he also lost his child and anything else that he had once valued. Tommy just sat there, crying. His eyes never left Kim's face. He stayed there for a long time; it could have been a few hours or even days. He didn't remember; all he knew was that from that day on his life would never be the same again. It was a nightmare he would never be able to escape. It would go on forever... And there was no going back._


	10. Chapter 10

It had been close to a half hour since Tommy had told his story. A story none of them would ever forget. Finally they understood the heartache and sorrow in his appearance. He carried more than the world on his shoulders; he carried a great amount of guilt. No one said a word when Tommy stood up and left the room to go outside, to be alone. They didn't know what to say or even what to do. How do you respond to something like that? Do you say you're sorry; that you understand, that's it's not your fault? Somehow none of those things would fix or undo what had happened. And they knew Jen and Justin probably had similar stories like his, stories of pain, sorrow, and tragedy.

Only a few minutes had passed since Tommy had gotten up without a word. Kim suddenly stood up from the couch leaving the group behind and in charge of her children. They all had an idea where she was headed. They watched as she opened the front door and closed it behind her. Perhaps hearing Tommy's story had been hardest on her for all sorts of reasons. Jason had the urge to go with her, but somehow he knew it would probably be better if Kim went alone, to give Tommy his space.

Wes and Jen looked at each other and then back at the other Jen. Wes had a very eerie feeling what had happened to this Jen and he knew it would only bring trouble. The look she had in her eyes was just enough. The emptiness and loneliness, it was the look of heartbreak. A look someone would have who has lost or has been separated from the one they love. Wes knew that kind of look all too well, for there was a time when he had been separated from his love. He didn't need to hear her story to know how it ended.

In the pit of Jen's stomach she had a fear that her dream was somehow connected to this. Could her dream somehow be the nightmare this Jen relives every night?

Rocky hated to ask, but he knew time might not be on their side. Sy-Kee was still out there waiting for a time to attack. "You guys going to tell…." He couldn't even spit the rest of his words out. He was feeling very uneasy and sick to his stomach from Tommy's story. He wasn't sure if it was because of how tragic it had been or because he had died in it, or rather another him, but it was as if a part of him might have died. Or was it the haunting truth, knowing if Tommy hadn't made the choice he did, they might not be here today.

"Yes…We probably should…" Jen started. The sound of her voice was tragic, heartbroken.

Eric could no longer take it, hearing it once was more than enough. It was just too much to hear it again. He got up and moved quickly into the kitchen. He had mumbled something out quickly. From what everyone could gather he said something like, "I'm sorry, I can't do this…."

* * *

Kim walked around in the garden, looking at the beautiful flowers as she searched for Tommy. A lot was going through her mind. She had always wondered what would have happened had Tommy gone the other way and stayed. And now she knew. She felt guilty for the times when she had wished Tommy had stayed and said no. But that was before she learned what would have happened if he hadn't done what he did. All of them would be dead; including her and her sons, who would have never been born. She had been proud of Tommy back then, but until now she never truly had been grateful. She hadn't wanted him to do it in the first place. She hadn't wanted to lose him, but if he had gone the other way, she would have lost him anyway, or rather he lost her. It's funny sometimes, you're never truly grateful for what you have until you learn what could have happened. She looked up to the sky. The sun was shining brightly; a flock of birds was flying high above. She smiled gently. "Thank you, you did the right thing," she said softly.

Her eyes then fell on Tommy. He was leaning on a fence staring off into the distance, but he wasn't paying attention to any of it. Kim sighed; she hated seeing him like this. Although he was not the Tommy she had lost, he was so much like him that her heart couldn't help but go out to him.

"Hey. You okay?" she asked softly. It may have been a dumb thing to ask; of course he wasn't okay. He had lost everything and everyone he ever cared about. When he didn't answer Kim gently put her hand on his shoulder. Even her touch didn't do anything. He stood motionless, as if he had blocked any human connection away from him. "It's not your fault," she said.

Tommy cringed. _It wasn't his fault. Ha! _ He quickly turned around, looking at her angrily. "Don't tell me it wasn't my fault! You weren't there, because of me they're all dead. It is _my_ fault! All of you here alive is living proof; if I had said yes they would all still be alive." He glared at her in anger. He didn't even realize his voice was growing louder. "So don't tell me it _wasn't_ my fault!" he yelled, and then he stopped right there.

Kim was petrified, she had seen Tommy angry before, but not like this. Her heart was racing in fear.

Tommy could just hit himself. The last thing he'd ever want to do is hurt or scare her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. I-I…" he struggled to say something else. He wanted to draw her into a hug and hold her forever. But things were different, much different. So he just stood there staring at her. He could feel himself breaking apart, he was on the verge of anger, guilt, and sorrowful tears all mixed up into one. Angry with himself, guilty for the choices he had made and deep sorrowful tears for the losses he'd had.

Kim could see it all in his eyes. "It's okay, you've been through a lot," she said softly.

He just stood there, feeling himself breaking apart. He wanted this pain he was feeling to just go away. He wished it had never happened, that this was just another bad dream.

Kim, unsure if this was the right thing to do, pulled Tommy into a hug, letting him cry on her shoulder. She couldn't help but cry along with him. It took a few moments until he settled into her arms, and let her take care of him. It had been so long since he let someone get this close to him. For so long he had kept Jen and Justin at a distance, because of fear of losing them and self blame for knowing he was the cause of their pain.

* * *

"Wes and I were fighting Sy-Kee; things weren't going too well. So Wes called for his battle armor, but he didn't have enough power or energy to handle it…."

_A huge explosion hit. There was no sound, nothing. Jen's heart was racing as she waited. Then she heard an all too familiar laugh. "Nooo" she cried. Sy-Kee was standing over Wes's unmorped body._

_ "Ahh," Wes cried out in pain, that attack had done a number on him._

_ "Foolish ranger, did you really think you could stop me," said Sy-Kee laughing. He then kicked Wes in the side, tossing his body to land in front of Jen. Jen knelt down by Wes, his clothes were torn and bloody. Cuts were all over his body, he was in bad shape. _

_"Wes……" Jen looked up at Sy-Kee. Rage and anger ran through her body. "I will make you pay, for what you did to him. Even if I go down with you," yelled Jen in rage, she went running at Sy-Kee._

_Jen was fighting Sy-Kee with everything she had, but he was just too powerful for her to handle. His laughter sickened her. She hated him in every way. There was no way she would let him get away with hurting Wes, her Wes, the man she loved. Jen called forth her weapon and began slashing him with every hit, but the powerful CellBorg blocked it every time. He then kicked the weapon out of Jen's hand. She just froze where she stood. She had no fight left in her, she was just too tired. Sy-Kee laughed darkly, he then kicked Jen hard in the gut. Jen dropped to her knees, force-demorphing. Sy-Kee raised his blaster up, getting ready to blast her away. Jen was too tired and weak to move out of the way. Tears were in her eyes, she had failed._

_Wes saw what was happening; he took a deep breath. It took every ounce of strength he had left to stand up and run in front of Jen. The blast hit Wes dead center. Everything seemed to go in slow motion._

_ "Wes no………" cried out Jen, tears running down her cheeks, as Wes fell in front of her very eyes. He wasn't moving much and she could tell he was having trouble breathing. Sy-Kee began laughing darkly at the sight of it, death. Jen got herself closer to him, grabbing a hold of his hand, pulling him into her lap. "Wes, please don't leave me….." she cried, feeling the tears drop from her eyes. Wes blinked his eyes a few times, focusing on Jen._

_ "Get out of here, Jen, while you have the chance," Wes took in a breath. "Please," he whimpered. Jen began shaking her head no._

_ "No, I'm not leaving you," she said, she would never leave him, not ever. _

_ "Oh, how sweet," laughed Sy-Kee. Jen looked up at Sy-Kee with anger and tears in her eyes. How could he be so cruel? _

_ "Jen, please go, I don't want anything to happen to you," said Wes softly, struggling through his words. His soft voice brought Jen's attention back to him. Jen felt her heart breaking away, she felt empty knowing what was going to happen. She was going to lose him; none of their dreams would ever come true._

_ "I'm not leaving you and that's final." She took a deep breath. "I'm not going to let you die alone….." she said softly. Wes opened his mouth to respond back, but no words came out. He felt his very life drifting away, he didn't want to die. He didn't want to lose Jen, not when they had come so close to having a life together. Sy-Kee began to laugh out loudly as he began to power up._

_ "Then together you shall die!!" he yelled. Jen stayed right by Wes's side, holding on to him as if she were protecting him. _

_ Wes's eyes locked right onto Sy-Kee's bright red glowing eyes. He became angry, filled with rage and madness. He would not let Sy-Kee get away with this. Although his breathing was light and weary, Wes could feel some of his strength returning and it would just be enough to do what he had to do, his human spirit was not about to give up even with death only moments away. There might not be a chance for him, but for her - she had a chance... While Sy-Kee was powering up, getting ready to blast both of them away, Wes managed to slowly push himself up._

_ "Wes, what are you doing?" asked Jen, having no idea how Wes was able to get up, as badly as he was beaten. He was in no shape to be standing. Wes turned and looked her right in the eyes, his lips were bright red and his eyes were very determined. Jen watched as his right hand reach for his morpher, and then she knew what was going through Wes's mind. "Don't you dare! It will kill you for sure!"_

_ Wes took a deep breath, but it was a struggle. "I'm already dead…Morpher, set self-destruct." And before Jen could do or say anything. Wes had set his morpher for self-destruct and all she could do was watch as Wes charged right at Sy-Kee. Everything seemed to stop right there; although it was dark, she watched as both bodies went crashing through a store window. The next sound she heard was the shattering of the window and the explosion. Jen ducked her head as pieces of glass and debris from the building went crashing and flying all over._

_ Once it had stopped Jen looked up and her eyes locked right onto where she had seen them crash into. It took a few moments until Jen could make out Wes. He was lying on the ground motionless, pieces of board lying right on top of him, and a small fire burning nearby the only light that was visible. Sy-Kee was nowhere in sight. "WES!" she cried. She pulled herself up and went running to him. _

_ She knelt down next to him, lifting the few pieces of wood off of his body. She cried heavily. His body was badly burnt; there was more blood all over him. "Oh Wes..." she cried as she cradled his body in her lap. She stared down at his half open eyes. After all that he was still holding on. "You didn't have to do that..."_

_ "Yes, I did... Needed you to be safe…You have to leave me behind, Jen," he said softly, as he coughed out some blood._

_She shook her head. "Don't die on me, Wes…Please…You've defeated fate before, you can do it again. You're going to be okay…You have to," she sobbed. He had to be okay, she couldn't lose him, not now, not when they were so close._

_Wes was finding it difficult to breathe and even see, everything was a blur and starting to become darker than it already was, but he kept his eyes locked on Jen. "I…don't think I have much of a choice, this time..." He coughed and managed a smile with a light laugh._

_"Don't joke." Jen sniffled heavily, as she stroked his head gently, brushing away the little blood coming from his mouth. She was very aware that his breaths were slowly fading away. She began to cry more heavily now, as reality began to sink in._

_"Shh…It's okay…I-I love you Jen. I'll always love you," he said softly as he held her hand, but there was no strength left or feeling, his life was beginning to fade away._

_Jen looked right into Wes's eyes knowing that at any moment now she would lose him. "I love you too Wes, forever..." she cried._

_ And for a moment their eyes were locked, she would be the last thing he would ever see. Jen watched as Wes took his last breath and then there was nothing. "Wes? Wes?" she cried. He never answered, she had lost him. She pulled him closer to her holding onto his lifeless body, not wanting to believe that he was gone. She began praying for God or anybody to bring him back to her, but that never happened. _

_A few moments later, she had the feeling she was not alone. Something was watching her; she could hear his laughter, feel his presence. Jen looked up and turned around and found Sy-Kee, unharmed, standing just a few feet away from her. "No! You can't be!"_

_Sy-Kee laughed. "It seems your lover's self-sacrifice was pointless. Haven't you realized I cannot be defeated? Nothing can stop me!" Sy-Kee raised his blaster and pointed it right at Jen. "Prepare to join him..."_

_Jen stood up. She was more angry than she ever had been. She was angry Wes had died for nothing, that his death had meant nothing. Sy-Kee was alive and well, and still just as powerful. She had nothing left to live for, and she was hurting so much that her heart just wasn't in it to fight. "Go on, do it! DO IT!" she yelled, and repeated over and over as tears ran down her cheeks._

_And that's when Sy-Kee realized something. She'd rather die, than have to go on without him. He laughed darkly, and drew away his blaster. "No. You'll live for now, ranger. This is much better. I'll be seeing you." Sy-Kee then began to walk away from her, laughing, and never looked back._

_"Come back! Come back and fight me...We're not through!" Jen yelled, but Sy-Kee never listened. She started to go after him, but she was so heartbroken by her loss that her legs gave away and she collapsed to the ground. She sobbed heavily; she hurt so much inside that it hurt to breathe. She wanted so badly to die right there and then._

_Slowly she crawled back over to Wes's dead body; she looked right at his face. "I promise I'll get him. Even if it's the last thing I ever do..." She wrapped her arms around Wes, holding him close to her. The fire was beginning to die down and then she was left in darkness, all alone to mourn the loss of her lover._

There was not a dry eye in the room when Jen had finished telling what had happened to her. Jen clung onto Wes, holding him closely to her. That was the nightmare she had been having, but it had not been to that extent. Wes wrapped his arms tightly around her, as if to let her know he was there. He kissed her head gently and then he looked over at the other Jen. The tears and pain in her eyes was all too much. And he knew it wouldn't be long before his Jen would ask him what had been going through his mind that day. He knew what happened to her had to be bad, but he never thought it would be like that. It was no wonder why Eric had gotten up and left.

Jason gulped in heavily. His heart even hurt more then before. His eyes were red and on the verge of tears. "What about the other Time Force rangers?" he asked softly, afraid to ask, but he wanted to know.

Wes and Jen broke apart slightly and looked over at her to hear the answer.

She sniffled and wiped away a few falling tears. "All I know is they're all dead including the Wild Force rangers. When I went back to where the underground barracks were, I found total destruction. There were burnt bodies and destroyed buildings everywhere, nothing was left. I couldn't even make out who any of them were, and the entrance to the underground barracks had been blocked off, it looked like it had collapsed from the inside. A while later I learned the Light Speed rangers also were killed. I don't know how they died. I'm not so sure I would want to know..." she replied softly, as soft tears rolled down her cheeks. Everyone she ever knew and loved had died.

Rocky bit his lip, feeling her pain deep inside. It was like one big nightmare. "Um, how is Sy-Kee able to survive out in the sun? I thought he and the other CellBorgs weren't able to handle it?" he asked. His words were soft and uneasy just moments away from breaking into heartbreak and tears. He knew he should have said something a little more sensitive, but their home could be in danger and he knew if they didn't stop Sy-Kee their home could end up just like their visitors' had.

Jen and Justin shared a look, then Jen's eyes fell onto Wes and her double. It then became clear to everyone that the three might know the reason. Wes licked his lips before turning to look at his wife. She nodded her head; it was the only thing that made any sense.

"It might have something to do with the fact that he took technology from Frax's remains. When Sy-Kee had first came after Jen and me, the flashlight we had didn't have any effect on him. Frax was once human, somehow that may have made him not affected by the sun." Wes sighed as he wrapped his arm tighter around Jen, pulling her closer to him. He just wanted all of this to be over with.

"Great, then how are we going to defeat him?" sighed Jason, dropping his head. It had been bad enough the last two times fighting these things, but back then they had a way of beating them. This time there didn't seem to be a way and if that was true this could just be the end of their world as well.


	11. Chapter 11

Tom and Trent were starting to fuss, so Jen had led Jason up the stairs to what would be the baby's room when it was born, where they had the crib they had bought only a few days before, leaving Rocky and Wes alone with Justin and the other Jen. The room was silent and that was making Wes very uncomfortable; he did his best not to make eye contact with this Jen. But try as he might his eyes did fall on her. She looked so sad. He wanted to say something, but what could he say? Wes cleared his throat and sat up.

"I'm going to check on Eric."

Wes walked into the kitchen and found Eric sitting alone off in the corner. For a long moment Wes just stared at him. Eric seemed to be taking what happened very hard. Wes started forward...

"Eric..."

Eric looked up at Wes, seeming very upset. "How could you..." he snapped.

* * *

Jen and Justin were left alone in the living room with Rocky. There was complete silence and it was starting to get uncomfortable for Rocky. He was the only one in the room with the two strangers who really weren't strangers to him. He knew them, but not _them_, to be exact. It wasn't like he could just start off a conversation with the two as if nothing had happened. Something bad did happen to them, and he really hadn't been a part of it. Another him had, but had died. And then there was the overwhelming fact that he hadn't seen Justin in years. The last he had seen of Justin was seven years ago. Justin was just a kid then, but now he was grown up; he no longer was the little kid he once knew.

Jen got up. "Excuse me; I need to use the restroom."

Rocky looked up, not even thinking about what he was saying. "Oh, um, it's up the stairs……." His words straggled off, when it hit him.

Jen gave him a faint smile. "It's okay," she then walked off, without another word. She had expected that to happen, and in a way she was glad it happened. In some ways it made things a little bit easier.

Rocky wanted to just knock himself on the head. He couldn't believe he had just said that. _Nice one, Rocko._ Of course she knows where the restroom was, she used to live here, or rather in another here. Rocky then looked up and met with Justin's eyes. He had grown up a lot. He was taller, had short dark brown hair and was well built. He had a million questions for him. What had he been up to for the last seven years? How was it, going to high school as a pre-teen? But most importantly, how had he gotten involved in this mess? As far as Rocky knew Justin had never shown up, they never even teleported him to the command center. Rocky didn't want to ask, knowing he would get another tragic story to go along with it. He pondered for a few short moments, wondering if he should or shouldn't. He bit his lip and sighed heavily. "How did you become a part of this?"

Justin knew it was only a manner of time until Rocky would ask him that question. How had he gotten involved? He had been at his home in Texas, safe. He had known something was up when it had been days since the sun had shone, and everything on the news was bad. Justin took a deep breath. "It had been a few months since the sun had gone away and the attacks had begun in California. No attacks had happened while I was in Texas. But the news was bad, there was destruction everywhere, and it was growing. I waited, believing if you needed help you guys would contact me, but no one ever did. And then I learned later several spacecraft had exploded in space and some of the pieces had crashed-landed on Earth." Justin took a moment to gather his thoughts. "It had been believed it was power ranger related…"

"It had to have been the Galaxy rangers coming to help you."

Justin nodded his head. "Yeah. That's when I knew it had to be real bad. So making a quick decision and going against my father…" Justin sighed, that had been one of the hardest decisions he ever had to make. "He didn't want me to go, said it would be too dangerous." He dropped his head down. He had hated to leave, but had known he had to. "I had to tell him I was a power ranger… He didn't want me to go, but he knew I had to. I had to go see if you guys were alright. So I left and I never looked back…"

"Then what happened?"

"When I finally made it back to Angel Grove nothing was left, everything was gone. There were dead bodies everywhere you looked. I could smell smoke and see fire just about everywhere. I was there for about a week until I met up with Tommy…"

* * *

Jason and Jen were in the nursery smiling down at the two sleeping babies. They had made a space on the floor with blankets and pillows piled around. The crib had been too small to hold both of them.

"So, you ready to be a mom?" asked Jason.

"I think so," smiled Jen, looking down at the sweet sleeping faces, so pure and innocent having no idea how life can be hard sometimes.

"You'll do fine, and you have Wes too."

"Yeah. And Kim has you," said Jen, eyeing Jason.

Jason gave a faint smile, still unsure of where he stood with Kim or his own mixed emotions on how to handle things. He knew he loved her, but did he love her more than just as a friend? Even though Tommy had given him his blessing, he wasn't sure if that was enough. But now this other Tommy was here, maybe this would be a second chance for Kim. Jason wasn't sure what the future had in store, but hopefully in the end things would turn out okay for everyone.

* * *

The other Jen found herself wandering into Wes and Jen's bedroom. It was just as she remembered: their bed against the wall, blankets neatly folded, and two dressers at opposite ends. She could almost see Wes and herself in here together, kissing, laughing, loving each other. It was as if the memories she had of this room haunted her deep in her thoughts. It was almost too much for her to be in this room; too many memories and ghosts. She was about to head out until her eyes fell on a picture frame that was on a small table facing the bed. She walked over to it, and picked it up looking at the happiness in the photo.

It was Wes's and Jen's wedding picture. They looked so happy together. Tears streamed down her face, knowing that would never happen to her and her Wes. No, time hadn't been kind to them. Time had taken Wes away from her. She wished she could go back to that day; maybe if she had done things differently he would still be alive. She placed the picture frame back on the table and then looked down at her ring. She played around with it for a few moments. She would not forget the promise she had made to him; she would get Sy-Kee and make him pay. But she knew even if she did get Sy-Kee and killed him, it wouldn't bring Wes back, but perhaps it would help her to move on and start living her life one day at a time.

* * *

_Tommy was battling a group of CellBorgs without any ranger powers, his only weapons were remains of his fallen friends' weapons. Tommy looked to be in rough shape, his hair was longer, his clothes were torn. He had burn marks down the side of his arms, cuts on his face. He looked as though he hadn't slept or eaten in weeks._

_ The once proud leader of the power rangers charged with running speed at two of the CellBorgs. He yelled out loudly as he jumped up in the air, going for a jump side kick. He kicked the CellBorgs in the head. The CellBorgs only fell back a few feet, as Tommy landed back down to the ground and used the small red blaster gun, shooting at the CellBorgs continually, until all that he could see was red blaster fire and smoke. He stopped and waited, believing he had finished them off; that was until a blaster ray hit him square in the chest. The blast sent Tommy crashing against a wall. He then dropped to the ground with a thud. He struggled to get to his feet as he clutched at his chest where he had been hit. His breathing was heavy and he was growing weary. Day in and day out this was all he did and it was beginning to take its toll on him. He had barely slept and he couldn't remember the time he had something decent to eat._

_ Tommy watched as the group of CellBorgs surrounded him, laughing, with their red glowing eyes staring right back at him. "Looks like its lights out for you, hero," said one of the CellBorgs pointing its blaster right at Tommy._

_ Tommy just lay there with his heart pounding. He stared down at his blaster gun that was only a few feet away, he could reach it in time, but what good would it do? They were all gone, his friends, his wife, everything. He had nothing left to fight for. He had nothing left to live for. He sighed heavily, he never thought the day would come when he would just give up and let the bad guys win. _

_ The CellBorg glared down at Tommy, getting ready to fire when…_

_ "Not today..." said a voice. Someone in a blue ranger costume had jumped in and was now between Tommy and the CellBorgs. The blue ranger had his large blaster gun pointed at the CellBorgs, ready to fire._

_ "Justin?" said Tommy softly. _

_The CellBorgs seemed quite shocked. "What? How can this be? I thought we killed all the power rangers," said one of the CellBorgs angrily._

_ "Well, it looks to me like you missed one," remarked the blue ranger._

_ The CellBorg just glared at the blue ranger and smirked. "For now, perhaps." The CellBorg then eyed Tommy. "This isn't over, next time you won't be so lucky," said the CellBorg as he and the others disappeared._

_ Once they were gone the blue ranger turned around and helped Tommy to his feet. "Tommy, you okay?" he asked, concerned._

_ "I'm fine," said Tommy as he shoved away from the blue ranger, seeming not to want his support. _

_Justin wasn't sure, but he could sense a hint of anger and upset in Tommy's voice. It was almost as if Tommy wanted them to kill him, as if life and the promise he had made years ago to Zordon no longer mattered._

_ "Power down," said Justin. Justin looked around as if he expected the others to be nearby, but he saw no one. "Tommy, where are the others? What did he mean when he said he killed all the power rangers?" asked Justin, his heart racing with fear._

_ Tommy turned around and looked at the young man. He sighed heavily, giving a frown to the young man. "Just like he said, they're all dead…" answered Tommy softly._

_ Justin just stood there, frozen. Dead? They couldn't be dead. The rangers don't lose. Could it all be a lie? It had to be. But he knew better, Tommy would never lie, not about something like this. Justin shook his head 'no', he could feel himself on the verge of tears. "No, they can't be gone, you're lying!" yelled Justin going at Tommy, punching him in the chest._

_ Tommy just stood there for a moment taking the hard punches from the young man, as if he deserved it. Maybe he did deserve it after what he had done. Tommy then grabbed a hold of Justin's arms and looked him right in the eyes. "I wish I was…I'm so sorry Justin, but you got here too late," he said softly._

Justin gulped heavily. He remembered that day very well. It was when his whole world came crashing down. Everything he once believed about power rangers changed, they weren't invincible. They too were only human. They could and did die, just like everyone else.

Rocky bit his lip, feeling slightly guilty. He and Justin had lost contact over the years; it had been mostly his own fault. He went on to college and practically forgot about his young friend. And here was Justin, who had left his father behind to go and help them without a second thought, only to find out they were all dead. "It must have been hard. Do you know if your dad - is he still alive?" asked Rocky.

Justin bowed his head down. "No. The CellBorg army continued to grow and destroyed everything in sight. We weren't able to stop them..." Justin sighed. There had been too many, too many for them to have taken on.

Rocky sighed heavily. "And Jen, how did you guys come to meet up with her?" asked Rocky.

"A few days after Tommy and I had met up, we ran into Jen. And ever since we've been together…"

* * *

Unknown to Wes and Eric, Jen was getting ready to pass the kitchen when she overheard their conversation.

Wes seemed confused. What was Eric talking about, how could he what? "What are you talking about?" Wes finally asked.

Eric got up from his seat and got right into Wes's face. His face was angry and upset, almost as if the sight of looking at Wes's face sickened him. "How could you do that to her?" he yelled.

Wes shook his head, and shoved Eric out of his face. "I didn't do anything; he's the one that did it. Not me!" declared Wes.

Eric just shook his head. "But you thought about doing it and that's just as bad. Did you even see the look on her face when she told the story? Do you have any idea how that must have been for her? Do you even care?" yelled Eric.

"Of course I care. I can't believe you would even ask me that," answered Wes, feeling hurt that Eric would even think that. He cared; he probably cared more than anybody.

"Have you told Jen?" asked Eric.

Wes crossed his arms across his chest. "No, she doesn't need to know. And what good would it do? To tell her I was planning on doing what the other me did, if Tommy hadn't saved us just in time..."

Eric's eyes glared right at Wes. He couldn't believe how childish Wes was acting. "She's your wife for crying out loud, she deserves to know!" yelled Eric.

"What she doesn't know can't hurt her..." remarked Wes.

"I can't believe you just said that! You lied to me!"

Wes turned around and found Jen looking right at him. She looked angry, hurt and on the verge of tears. Wes's heart was pounding. He had hoped to prevent this from happening, but thanks to Eric's big mouth that wasn't going to happen. "Jen, I-I…." Wes was struggling with what to say.

"Don't you Jen me!" she yelled and pointed her finger right at him. Sometime around the time when Jen had come into the picture Eric had left the kitchen quite quickly knowing this wasn't going to be pretty.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she sobbed. She never thought the day would come when Wes would lie to her. "I was having these dreams and I thought I was alone, that no one understood what I was going through. And come to find out all this time you had some connection to it! Did you think I couldn't handle it, huh?" she yelled right into his face.

Wes gulped in, he had never seen Jen this angry with him before. "Well, you haven't exactly been yourself lately..." And once Wes finished his sentence he knew he was going to regret it. That was the one thing he should have never said.

Jen's eyes widened, she couldn't believe he had just said that. She thought she knew him better than that, but maybe Wes was no different than any other guy. "So you're saying because I'm pregnant I wouldn't have taken it well?" she snapped.

Wes took a couple steps back beginning to feel a little uneasy. "Yes, no…I mean..." He was staggered. Wes just shook his head. He didn't see what the point was; so he lied to her, so what. He had only lied to her to protect her. "Jen, come on, what's the big deal, it never happened."

"But it did happen to her! Do you think you're indestructible or something?" Jen then went up right to his face. "Well, let me tell you something, you're not! One day one of your stupid stunts will kill you!"

Wes just shook his head, she was overreacting. "So I'm supposed to pay the price for something I didn't even do?" he snapped back at her.

"You should have told me. You lied right to my face. How am I supposed to ever trust you again," she cried.

Wes nodded his head. "Yeah, I lied. But don't tell me you wouldn't have done any different had it been you instead of me." He looked her right in the eyes. "I know you, Jen," remarked Wes. He knew Jen would have done the same thing he had done. He was not about to back down.

Jen just shook her head firmly. She glared at him right in the eyes; she looked as though she was about to smack him, but she stepped back and decided not to. Jen then turned around and started to walk out of the kitchen, away from Wes.

Wes's eyes widened as he watched her take off. He began to regret what he had just said to her. "Jen, wait. Where are you going?" he called out, starting to go after her.

"Stay away from me!" she yelled as she turned around, looking at him, more hurt than she had ever been.

Wes just stood there in shock. He couldn't believe his ears, it was as if time had stopped. He didn't know what to do or say. Jen had never acted this way around him before, not to this extreme; then again he had never really lied to her. "Jen…I-I'm sorry, okay?" said Wes softly hoping the sound of his soft and kind voice would get through to her, as it had in the past.

Jen just shook her head. She was so angry and disappointed with him. "It's not going to work this time." She started on her way again, but then turned around. "And don't try to follow me…" Before Wes could say anything else Jen ran out of the kitchen and headed towards the back door.

"JEN!" yelled Wes as he tried to catch up to her.

Jen, now outside, put Wes's helmet over her head and hopped onto his motorcycle and drove off as fast as she could.

Tommy and Kim who had been in the garden had watched the whole thing. "What do you think that was about?" asked Kim.

Tommy just shook his head. "I don't know," he replied.

Wes was too late, Jen was gone and out of sight. "Damn!" he yelled, punching one of the white pillars that was part of the entrance of his home. He could feel himself building up with anger. And his anger began to move onto one person in particular...__


	12. Chapter 12

Hey everyone, I probably want have the next chapter until next Saturday or Sunday. I'll be leaving to go camping with my family tomarrow. Take care.

Jason was heading downstairs along with the other Jen. They were moving slowly until they could hear two voices shouting at each other. The two looked at each other before running down the stairs as fast as they could.

"It's your fault!" yelled Wes right into Eric's face, as he grabbed a hold of Eric's shirt collar.

"Well she wouldn't have taken off if you just told her in the first place, like I told you to..." remarked Eric, shoving Wes away from him.

Wes just laughed and looked at Eric angrily. "Since when do you know anything about relationships? It's not like you've ever been in one long enough." Wes eyed Eric, giving him a cocky smile. "How long were you and Taylor together, hmm?"

Eric appeared hurt by the remark, more hurt then he had thought he would be.

Wes laughed, feeling he had made his point. "You know nothing abut being in a relationship, it's no wonder things never worked out with you and Taylor," smirked Wes. He knew he was acting childish but he didn't care.

That did it, that's what set Eric off. He charged right at Wes in blind rage, grabbing him by the shoulders and throwing him against the wall. Wes hit his shoulder hard, groaning; he clutched onto it and looked Eric right in the eyes.

"That does it." Wes went right at Eric, charging, fists ready.

By the time Jason and the other Jen arrived on the scene, Wes and Eric had exchanged punches, kicks, and angry comments with one another. For a short moment Jason just watched as the two friends fought it out. Wes went at Eric with a right hook punch, hitting him from underneath the chin and continued with a left jab to the chest. Eric then went at Wes with a round kick to Wes's shoulder, followed by a front kick, which Wes blocked with his hands, just barely.

Jason looked over at Rocky and Justin who obviously had just been sitting there the whole time watching the two go at it. "ROCKY!" yelled Jason.

Rocky turned his head away from the fight and looked over at Jason. "What?" Jason just looked at Rocky, not able to believe he had let this happen. Rocky finally got the hint. "Oh. Right." He laughed slightly as he stood up and joined Jason to break up the fight.

Rocky grabbed a hold of Wes and pulled him back as best as he could, as Jason did the same with Eric. Both Wes and Eric struggled to get free, as both Rocky and Jason struggled to keep the two apart, which wasn't easy. Both men were strong fighters, but so were they.

"Let me go!" yelled Wes, as he tried to break free of Rocky's arms that were holding him back.

"Not until you chill out, man," answered Rocky, as he tightened his hold on him.

Wes and Eric continued to give dark cold stares at one another, as if they hated each other with a great passion.

"That's enough, you two!" Jason yelled. He had had just about enough of their childish behavior. "We can go on like this all day if we have to," declared Jason.

Jen looked over at Justin, who was sitting down on the couch. "How did this happen, anyway?" she asked. In the past it might have been normal for Wes and Eric to get into a fight, but they had become friends, so there had to be a reason that brought this fight about.

Justin shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me, Wes comes in here yelling and calling Eric names. And the next thing I know they're arguing and then throwing each other around the room."

"One of you want to tell us what's going on?" asked Jason, looking over at Wes and then back at Eric. "Well?" he said when neither one answered.

After a few moments of silence, "It's his fault!" yelled Wes. He was angry with Eric, angrier then he wanted to admit. Didn't he understand he had his reasons for not wanting to tell Jen? Didn't he know this was hard on him, too? It wasn't like he intended to lie and hurt Jen.

"My fault? You're the one who lied to Jen, your wife.." announced Eric loudly. And Eric wasn't sure whether he was angry at the fact Wes had lied and not told Jen or whether he was angry about what happened to Tommy and the others, and was looking at something or someone to be angry about.

The front door opened. "Did we miss something?" asked Kim as she and Tommy walked into the living room.

The room was silent for a long moment, during which Wes got free of Rocky's hold around him. Feeling overwhelmed by his own emotions and uncertainty, he slumped down onto one of the chairs, burying his head into his arms, feeling the tears come. Had he done the right thing, lying to Jen? He wanted to believe he had; he had only been trying to protect her. He only had done it because he loved her so much. He just wasn't sure what to think. Jen had been so angry and hurt; she just couldn't believe he of all people lied to her. And fear began to set in. What if she didn't come back? What if she left him? He couldn't bear the thought of it. He couldn't lose Jen, not now, not with a baby on the way.

Eric had finally gotten free of Jason's hold. He wanted to be angry with Wes, but the way Wes was looking now…Maybe he had overreacted a bit. Said something he shouldn't have. Eric wasn't sure why he had gotten so angry at Wes. Wes had had no idea of what would happen; he had no way of knowing. He was only doing what he thought was best, by keeping it from Jen, trying to protect her. And Eric knew he probably would have done the same thing. Maybe things were just so messed up because they had all just learned what would have happened if things had gone differently; and now with Sy-Kee back, that was making things difficult. This was hard on all of them. Eric sighed as he slumped down onto the chair, and dropped his head down, running his fingers through his hair. He just hoped that he and Wes could work through this, and still be friends. He wasn't sure what he would do if he and Wes were no longer friends.

The others stood watching the two. This was going to be a difficult day to finish out, but things couldn't get any worse then they already were, right?

* * *

It had been hours since the fight between Wes and Eric had ended, and since Jen had taken off. She still hadn't called or made contact with anyone, which was starting to worry Wes. It wasn't like Jen to stay out this long without word, and although in the past she had taken off to blow off some steam she had only been gone for an hour or two, but now it had been three, with the minutes passing by.

Wes sat out on the porch looking out at the driveway, hoping at any moment he would hear his motorcycle and Jen would be home, back where she belonged. But the only vehicle that drove in was his father's limo; it hadn't been easy explaining to his father or Philips the situation about the three visitors. They had left out most of the details, only saying they were from an alternate universe and about Sy-Kee being on the loose. It hadn't been in anyone's heart to repeat the tragic story of their being here.

Wes sighed heavily, he tried not to look at his watch, but every passing minute seemed like a lifetime to him. It seemed like forever since he had seen Jen, held her in his arms, told her how much he loved her. A moment later he felt a shadow looking over him. He knew instantly who it was, as if there was some ghostly connection between them. "Are you going to yell at me too?" he sighed.

She smiled faintly at him, he reminded her so much of him. And he should, they after all were the same person, just from different realities. "No, I'm not going to yell at you. I think you've been through enough today," she said softly.

Wes didn't answer; his thoughts were still on Jen, wondering where she was and if she was okay.

"I understand why you did it, though."

Wes slowly turned around to look up at her. How could she understand, when his Jen didn't? Could it be because of what had happened to her? "You do?" he asked softly.

She nodded her head. "Yeah," she smiled. "You were only doing what you felt was right by not telling her, and she knows that..."

Wes gave a faint smile. "Thanks..."

She could tell he was concerned that Jen wouldn't come back, that he had lost her. She placed her hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing it. "She'll come back."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Wes. Right now he wasn't sure of anything.

She smiled at him, and for a moment it was almost too much for her to even look him in the eyes without feeling something. She wanted so badly to wrap her arms around him and never let go, but he wasn't hers and she wasn't his. She took a deep breath to hold back her tears. "Because she loves you..."

Wes smiled gently as he looked into her eyes. He knew this had to be very hard for her, being here, seeing him, and trying to talk to him, without seeing the one she had lost. It was probably the most difficult thing she had ever had to do. Wes wasn't sure if he was in her place that he would have been able to do the same. It seemed unbearable to him to even think about. And it hadn't been the first time she had to go through something like this. Wes thought back, remembering how long it had taken Jen until she could look at him without seeing Alex. "I'm sorry," he said.

"You didn't do anything wrong, it wasn't your fault..."

He nodded his head. "I know. But I'm still sorry. Sorry about what happened to you, to Tommy and Justin. Everything." He sighed. He didn't know what to say or do. He wished he could make things better for her and the others.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"I just wish there was something more I could do."

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he had been there watching her from the door, seeing her with the two little ones. It looked to be a perfect sight, a mother with her children, but there was something missing. That something missing messed it all up. Tommy sighed heavily; he wasn't sure how his other self had been able to do it. How does someone give up the woman they love along with never being able to watch their children grow?

He had not been able to give it up, and because of that he would always be haunted by his ghosts. He smiled faintly, watching as Kim tended to the twins, changing their diapers. He wondered how she was able to go on. He could tell it hasn't been easy on her, she missed him very much, as he missed his love very much and his unborn children. He was about to leave, when...

"Would you like to hold them?" he heard her call.

How long had she known he had been standing there? He was hesitant, not sure whether it would be a good idea. He knew once they destroyed Sy-Kee they would have to go their separate ways. It would only be harder at the end, but perhaps this was something he needed to do. Feeling uneasy and with mixed emotions he pushed open the door and walked all the way into the room, and sat down next to her on the floor.

The two boys, Tom and Trent, were sitting up smiling and giggling as they looked up at Tommy. Tommy smiled kindly at them; he wasn't sure what to say to them. He turned to Kim, realizing he didn't even know their names. "Wh-What are their names?" he asked. It was a hard question for him to ask, because he knew that had his Kim lived and given birth his children would have had the same names. He wasn't sure if he would want to know, but maybe it would help just to know, so he knew who to mourn for.

Kim smiled, she could tell this was difficult for him and it was hard on her too. She wondered if she would regret spending time with him, letting him spend time with her children. But wouldn't she regret that she hadn't? She wasn't sure. "This is Trent David Oliver," she pointed at the young browned hair boy with blue eyes. She then leaned over and picked up the other child, placing him into Tommy's lap. "And this little guy is Tom Samuel Oliver..." She stopped, looking into his eyes, as if waiting for his reaction.

Tommy smiled as he looked down at the smiling young boy with brown eyes. He knew it wasn't him that this child was named after, but he still felt something, maybe not for himself, but for the other him. The hero. He tried not to cry, but he couldn't hold back his own tears. He turned to Kim, feeling grateful, although this had been hard for him; maybe this was something he needed. "Thank you," he said softly.

Kim didn't answer, she just smiled and then put Trent on her lap, giving him a loving hug. For the first time in a long time she felt complete, she felt whole again.

Jason watched from a distance, just peering into the room a little. They all looked so happy together, like they belonged together. And although he felt a tad bit jealous, he was happy for them. But somewhere deep in his heart he had a feeling it wouldn't last…


	13. Chapter 13

Jen came to a full stop, when something caught her eye. She hopped off the motorcycle and took off her helmet, setting it down. She walked up to what were the remains of the clock tower, where most of the foundation had been cleaned up by now. But the place had been too unstable to rebuild the once proud clock tower. This had been her home for close to a year, but it had been destroyed due to an attack by the cyclobots. Wes and Eric had barely escaped with their very lives. _Wes... _she thought. She was so angry with him. He had lied to her. She sighed heavily, remembering his words.

_"Yeah, I lied. But don't tell me you wouldn't have done any differently had it been you instead of me."_

Was he right? Would she have done the same thing? She wanted to believe she wouldn't have, but as she repeated his words over in her mind, she knew she would have. She would have done whatever it took to protect him even if that meant getting herself killed or even lying to him for his own protection.

Jen bowed her head down, sighing, remembering a time when she had lied to Wes's face. Her morpher had been stolen by Steelix; he had told her not to go anywhere alone unless he or one of the others was with her. She had said she wouldn't, but almost an hour later she had taken off on her own and because of that Steelix had given her some kind of drug, and she had nearly tore Wes apart. Luckily Wes had been able to break her from the spell. And despite all that he had never been angry with her, not even when she made him the bad-tasting cookies.

She then began to regret what she had said to him; he had only been doing what he felt was the right thing. Now it was time for her to do the right thing. She turned back around and started to head back over to the motorcycle, until she felt herself being pulled back.

Someone or something had grabbed a hold of her wrist. It felt cold and hard…that's when she knew what had grabbed her wasn't human. She turned her head around and found herself face to face with those red glowing eyes that had been haunting her dreams. "Sy-Kee," she spat.

Sy-Kee laughed as he tightened his grip around her wrist. "Hello, you must be the Jen of this world. I'm sure you have heard the stories from your double, about the demise of her lover..." he hissed.

"You bastard!" she yelled, moving her free arm up, forming her hand into a fist getting ready to make contact with his face.

But Sy-Kee had been ready; he grabbed her other hand, forcing it down before it even came close to hitting him. He snickered as she tried to break free of his hold on her. Sy-Kee then threw her back and Jen rolled to the ground. She lay on the ground dazed; she started to push herself up until she saw what she never thought she would see again. Cyclobots began to surround her. How was this possible? Only Frax could have created the Cyclobots, and he was dead. Or was he?

Sy-Kee laughed at the sight of her shocked face. He watched as she pushed herself up and got into a fight position. Jen looked around, there was no way out, the Cyclobots had circled around her. Her eyes then fell onto Sy-Kee and that when it hit her. Sy-Kee had copied technology from Frax's remains, which meant he could be capable of recreating the Cyclobots.

"Aren't you going to morph, Jennifer?" mocked Sy-Kee.

Jen stared down at her wrist where her morpher was. She knew she should, but it hadn't been working due to her pregnancy. Jen gulped in, she could feel her heart racing, if she ever had been scared she sure was now. "Come on! Please work…" With her left hand she pressed on the button, but nothing happened. Jen bit her lip, as she looked back up at Sy-Kee and the robots that were surrounding her. She would have to fight them on her own; there was no time to call for help. She locked eyes with Sy-Kee. "I don't need my powers. I can take all of you out on my own!" she roared, as she looked to her left and side-kicked one of the Cyclobots in the chest, then grabbed a hold of one of the others by the arm. She twisted the arm around forcing it around the robots back, then kicking it to the ground.

But the Cyclobots from behind her began to gang up on her, grabbing at her. Jen tried to force them off of her, but was unsuccessful. The other robots soon joined in and grabbed a hold of her arms and pulled them behind her back. They then brought her over to Sy-Kee, face to face. Sy-Kee raised his hand and then stroked her cheek. "Looks like I win," he hissed.

"My friends will come looking for me!" she spat, looking at him sharply.

"I'm COUNTING on it, and you're going to help me make sure that happens." He stepped closer to her and then looked down at her belly, seeing the little roundness to it. "Because if I know him like I do, he'll come for you and when he does..." He laughed.

Jen felt a shiver go down her spine, as her heart began to race. Her eyes widened in fear.

Sy-Kee laughed, knowing now he had her attention. "Well, let's just say history has a way of repeating itself," he hissed.

"You aren't going to lay a……." She cried out loudly, not being able to finish her sentence. Sy-Kee had grabbed a hold of her chin, pressing it hard.

"Silence! You are in no position to defy me, that's if..." He looked down at her belly once again. "You don't want anything to happen to your child…" laughed Sy-Kee.

Jen knew it was one thing to put her own life in danger, but she couldn't do that now, not with a child on the way. She would have no choice but to listen to Sy-Kee.

* * *

Wes had not moved from where he had been sitting outside for hours. He stared out into the distance, watching as the cars and trucks passed by the long driveway. He wasn't sure how much time had gone by; two or three hours? Maybe more, it didn't seem to matter. It felt like a lifetime had gone by since he had seen Jen. Wes sighed heavily as he dropped his head down.

Eric sighed as he slowly walked over to Wes. It had been hours since the fight with Wes. He couldn't help but feel for the guy. Wes looked like he had just lost his best friend, looking so down and depressed. And part of that had been his fault. Eric knew he hadn't really been there for Wes, to understand what he was going through; that was until now. Now he understood Wes had only been doing what he thought was right. For better or for worse, what was done was done. "Hey," said Eric softly as he walked around Wes and sat down next to him.

Wes didn't look up at Eric, just answered with a simple, "Hey..." He said it all too softly.

The next few minutes were full of complete silence, as if they were two strangers, or two best friends who had gotten into a huge fight. In the past Eric probably would have welcomed the silence. But now it seemed unbearable to him to the point where he couldn't stand it. Eric knew he would have to be the one to make the move; Wes was too content in the silence. "I'm sorry about blowing off at you. I-I guess I was just scared."

Wes smiled faintly at that. He never thought of Eric being the type that gets scared. "You scared?" Wes sighed. Even the bravest of us gets scared, and with what they'd all been through... Wes turned and looked at Eric. "I guess I never took you for ever being scared. I'm sorry too, about what I said, you and Taylor."

Eric smiled back. "Thanks." Both of them let out a sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. A few moments passed until Eric spoke up again. "We saved you some dinner; you should come in and eat. Your dad's starting to worry about you."

Wes smiled faintly. "Thanks. But I'm not really hungry."

"Wes, you've haven't eaten all day. She'll come home, believe me she will. Jen may be upset, but she's not that upset." When Wes didn't respond Eric placed his hand on Wes's shoulder. "Tell you what, you come on inside and eat something and then after you're done, I'll go help you look for her. What do you say?"

Wes thought about it for a few moments. He was hungry. And if he didn't eat something soon he felt like he was going to pass out. He turned to Eric, finally giving in. "Alright..."

"Good. Because if you didn't, I was under orders to bring you in kicking and screaming," smiled Eric.

Wes chuckled; it was on very few occasions that Eric was ever funny. "Oh, you're funny." Eric was about to respond as the two stood up when Wes's morpher beeped. Both of them looked at each other, knowing it could only be one person. "Jen! Thank God, I was starting to worry," said Wes into his morpher.

_"Wes..."_

Wes and Eric looked each other in the eyes, something in the sound of her voice wasn't right. It sounded frightened, even petrified. Wes could feel his heart racing. What was wrong?

"Jen, are you okay? Where are you?" he asked. When they didn't hear her respond, they really started to worry. "JEN!" Wes called out loudly into the morpher.

_"Hello, rangers. Remember me?"_

Wes's eyes widened up. His heart felt like it had skipped a beat. He knew that voice all too well. Jen was in big trouble.

Eric felt sick to his stomach, but he knew he had to be strong; Wes needed him more than ever. Eric gripped Wes's shoulder letting him know he was there for him.

"Let her go, Sy-Kee, or I swear I'll rip you apart one piece at a time!" roared Wes, trying to hide all the fear in his voice.

_"You're in no position to make threats. So I suggest you shut your mouth, listen, and listen well. I call the shots from here on in, that's if you value her life. Do we have an understanding?"_

Wes and Eric looked at each other; they didn't seem to have much of a choice, Jen was far too important to both of them to lose her now.

"Yes. I'll do whatever you say, just please don't hurt her," said Wes softly, feeling himself begin to break down.

_"Good. I thought you might…"_


	14. Chapter 14

Everyone had been sitting in the living room enjoying each others' company. It was getting late and Kim knew she needed to get the boys back home to Angel Grove. Jason and Rocky were helping her pack up the diaper bags. They were about to say goodbye when Wes and Eric walked in.

The room fell silent as they watched the two commanders of the Silver Guardians walk into the room. Both of them looked like they had just heard the worst news possible, and Wes looked the worse for it. His shoulders were down and his face frightened, concerned, and it appeared he was doing all he could not to cry.

"What is it, son?" asked Mr. Collins. The last time he had seen Wes with this behavior was a few years ago when Jen and the others had left to go back to their own time.

Wes eyed his father with a hard, depressed look. He tried to speak, but no words would come out. He was still in denial that Jen was in the hands of Sy-Kee. That at any moment Sy-Kee could take her very life away from her, and him. Why did this have to happen? he wondered. Hadn't they been through enough?

Eric sighed heavily, knowing he would have to be the one to break the news to everyone. He took a step forward, as Wes sank down onto a chair with his head down, looking as if his whole world was about to come tumbling down. Eric eyed them all with a heavy heart… "Sy-Kee…" He took a deep breath, it was almost too much for him to say. Jen was his friend, his best friend's girl, and his boss's daughter-in-law.

Everyone felt their hearts skip a beat. They all hoped it wasn't what they were all thinking, they hoped to God it wasn't, but somehow they knew, they just knew, something bad had happened.

Eric cleared his throat. "Sy-Kee has Jen…" He watched as everyone dropped their heads down and seemed to fall apart. "And unless we do what he says, he'll kill her..."

* * *

Sy-Kee had found a building that had been abandoned for quite some time. It was here where he created the cyclobots and here where he had taken Jen. There were cyclobots all over the place; there must have been hundreds, maybe even thousands. Jen looked around trying to see if there was a way out; the entrance into the building was blocked off by cyclobots standing in front of it. There were a few broken windows that she could escape out of, but she knew even before she reached the window they would stop her, even kill her; without her powers she would be vulnerable.

"Don't even try it. I programmed them to kill; they will show no mercy," hissed Sy-Kee, looking over at Jen who was sitting down in a corner.

"And you wouldn't?" stammered Jen.

Sy-Kee laughed darkly. "Would you really want to find out?" He glared at her. His eyes were glowing dark red. "Or perhaps you would like to learn what happened to your lover while he was in my prison. I'm sure what happened to the one in my dimension happened here…" he hissed.

Jen's eyes widened slightly. Wes had been imprisoned for almost two months by the CellBorgs, but he never talked about what had happened to him. In fact he never said much of anything on the topic.

"He never told you. Did he?" He laughed. He stepped closer to her, until his shadow was over her body. "Well, we have time..." he hissed, as thunder banged loudly outside, and lighting flashed. Sy-Kee began to tell his story as a storm raged on.

* * *

"No! I won't let you go through with it. I can get her back on my own," said Wes, staring right at Tommy, Justin and the other Jen. The three had just said that they would surrender to Sy-Kee. They would not allow another innocent life to be taken by him. Too many had died already. Wes gulped in heavily, feeling himself begin to break down. "I can't ask you to give up your lives…"

Tommy stepped forward, sighing heavily. "Yes, you can." He turned around, looking at Justin and Jen. The two nodded their heads for him to go on. "It's our fault that Sy-Kee is here. And we're going to do it, whether you want us to or not," said Tommy.

"But..." Wes started.

Jen stepped forward, walking up to him, taking his hands. "It's alright." She sighed heavily. Wes struggled to say something, but no words came out. "Don't let what happened to me, happen to you. Please. I-I couldn't stand another tragedy," she pleaded, as small tears ran down her cheeks.

Wes was about to say something, until she cut him off. "You've done your part. Now let us do ours…" She gave him a faint smile.

Wes just looked at her and then over at Tommy and Justin. He didn't know what to say, or what to do at that moment.

"So what do we do now?" asked Rocky.

There was a long pause before anyone responded. "We wait, until tomorrow morning. Jen, Justin, and I will turn ourselves into Sy-Kee to free Jen..." answered Tommy.

"Do you actually think he'll free her?" asked Jason. Everyone in the room had reason to question that. Would Sy-Kee go by his word and free her or was it all a trap?

Tommy bit his lip, as his eyes turned on Jason. "We don't have much of a choice; it's not only one life that's at risk here, there are two..." Tommy reminded them. And just as Tommy finished his words everyone watched as Wes walked out of the room, they could all hear him as he ran up the flight of stairs.

"I'll go check on him," said Eric as he got up from his seat on the chair.

"No, Eric, let Wes have some time alone," said Mr. Collins softly.

Eric nodded his head and took back his seat. Collins sighed heavily; it was going to be a long night. Outside the storm continued to carry on. "You're all welcome to stay here for the night, there are plenty of rooms."

No one really responded, just a few nods here and there. To tell the truth no one was too ready to head back home, either because it was late or they were all tired, or the storm outside, or the ongoing storm happening in their lives right now. It probably was a mixture of all.

* * *

He slowly opened his bedroom door and peered out, checking at each end of the hall. All the doors were closed and the lights were off; everyone had finally headed in for the night. Wes closed the door to his bedroom silently and walked over to his dresser where his Silver Guardian harness sat. He grabbed a hold of it and put it on. He took a moment to make sure it was tightly on and that everything was in place. He then looked down at his morpher. "Sorry guys, but this is something I have to do on my own," said Wes as he pushed a combination of buttons on the morpher.

_"Communication and tracking disabled..."_

He then started for the balcony. It was still pouring rain when Wes walked out to his and Jen's balcony. Wes shut the doors behind him. He walked to the edge of the balcony. It wasn't that far of a jump, he had done it so many times as a teenager when he sometime snuck out at night. But it had been a while since then. "Here's goes nothing…" Wes leaped over the edge and dropped down to the ground. "I'm getting too old for this..." Wes said as he started to push himself back up, until he heard a noise. Wes looked up, his father was about to open his balcony door. Wes moved quickly to the side and hid behind a table so his father wouldn't see him. Wes watched as his father took a quick look around and then headed back inside, before he got soaking wet.

Wes let out a sigh of relief. That was almost too close. He glanced down, looking at his watch; it was 12 am, then he started for his car. He had no idea where Sy-Kee was keeping Jen. Sy-Kee had told him and Eric he would contact them with more information later. And somehow he had also figured out how to turn off Jen's morpher's tracking, so that there would be no way to track her down. Wes paused as he started to open the door; he turned back, looking at his home. The place he had grown up in. He wondered if this would be the last time he would ever see it. "Bye, Dad..."

Wes got into the car, started the engine, and silently drove off into the night.

Hidden in the shadows, two red eyed glowed brightly as they watched Wes drive off. "You fool," he hissed.


	15. Chapter 15

There weren't too many cars on the road. Wes would pass by one or two every so often. He had been out on the road now for almost two hours, just driving around, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, but so far he had found nothing. And with each passing minute he felt that any hope of ever getting Jen back was very slim. More regret for the things they had said to each other out of anger.

It was getting harder and harder to see out the front window, due to the heavy rainfall. Wes couldn't remember the last time it had rained this long or this hard. He had the windshield wipers going at full speed, _SWISH! SWISH. _He yawned heavily, feeling as tiredness started to take him over. He had fought it back for the last hour. He kept telling himself that he would not rest until Jen was safe, but it seemed sleep was going to win this battle. Wes started to close his eyes, and for a few moments he drifted off to sleep. His car started to turn over into the other lane.

Wes jerked up quickly when he heard a loud honking noise. He quickly turned the wheel to avoid the truck, and just barely missed getting hit by it. Wes then tried to regain control of the car, as it slid against the wet road. It swerved left to right; just as Wes was about to pull back into his lane he saw a figure standing in the middle of the road, it was hard to make out who it was, and all Wes could see were two red dots. He quickly put his foot on the brakes to avoid hitting what he thought could be a deer or some other animal, he was too tired to tell just what it was. But due to the rain, the brake wasn't sticking and Wes's car went straight for a tree. The impact forced Wes to hit his head hard on the dashboard and then he zoned out, as whatever he had avoided started approaching him. Wes vision was a blur and doubled: what was it, he thought? Then everything went black.

* * *

The next morning everyone pretty much had gotten up and all headed straight for the living room. No one was really too hungry, knowing that in a few hours their new found friends, and perhaps an old friend, would be killed. There hadn't been too much conversation going on. No one knew what to say, they all seemed to want to avoid the question they were all pondering in their minds. Would they get Jen out okay?

Eric took a glance around the room as if to read everyone's expressions. Everyone appeared tired. Which wasn't surprising to him, he hadn't slept so great himself. And then something became clear to Eric. Where was Wes? Eric looked around the room again. Mr. Collins was sitting in his favorite chair, stirring his cup of coffee which he had been doing nonstop for the last five minutes, avoiding any eye contact with anyone. Kim, Jason and Rocky were on the couch feeding Trent and Tom. He also was very aware of Kim taking glances over at Tommy. He knew this must be hard on her, as well as on Tommy.

Tommy was sitting off in the corner with his head down. Eric knew he could never imagine the weight he had to carry on his shoulders, and now with this situation with Jen... Eric knew Tommy realized well enough that this deal with Sy-Kee was more than likely a trap, but what choice did they have? Eric then looked over at the other couch where Jen and Justin had been sitting. Both of them looked concerned and even depressed, not surprising after what they been through. He could also see the fear in their eyes; fear that they could die, before they could have a chance to make Sy-Kee pay for what he had done to them.

"Has anyone seen Wes?" asked Eric, breaking the silence.

Until that moment no one really had noticed that he was missing, come to think of it no one had seen him all morning.

"He's probably still in bed. I'll go check on him," said Mr. Collins, as he sat up and placed his cup of coffee down on the table. To tell the truth he was happy to get up and leave the room, and actually do something useful.

* * *

Collins knocked on Wes's door. "Wes?" No answer. "Wes, son, can I come in?" Still no answer. "Wesley, please say something. Everyone is really worried about you." No answer again. Feeling very concerned, Collins opened the door to Wes and Jen's room. He walked in, seeing that the bed was still made. He walked into the room looking around, and then his eyes caught the balcony doors, they appeared to be partly open. He walked over and opened the door, stepping outside onto the balcony. He looked down below and noticed that Wes's car was gone. The question was, how long had it been gone? "Oh Wes," sighed Collins, knowing very well his son must have sneaked out late in the night, it must have been him he had heard during the night.

Everyone watched as Collins slowly walked back into the living room. His face was concerned and weary. That was when everyone knew what had happened, he didn't even need to say it aloud. Wes had taken off and decided to go after Sy-Kee alone.

"Damn you, Wes!" yelled Eric as he slammed his hand on the table, making the lamp shake.

"Wait, Eric, your morpher. You should be able to track him," suggested Jen.

"Right." Eric raised his wrist up, pushed a few buttons.

_"Unable to complete request."_ Eric tried this a few more times and he got the same response.

"He must have turned off his communicator and tracker," he sighed. "I knew one of us should have kept an eye on him. We all know how he is when it comes to Jen," muttered Eric. His eyes then fell on the other Jen. "No offence, but you…well you knew how he…your Wes was," Eric went on quickly, feeling somewhat unconformable.

Jen nodded her head, sighing. She knew all too well. "I know."

For the next few moments there was complete silence. There was nothing much any of them could do, except wait and hope.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Kim.

"No, as much as I hate it all we can do is wait, either for Wes to contact us or for when Sy-Kee is ready to make the trade," answered Tommy.

"Maybe we should go with you…" started Jason, until Tommy cut him off.

"No Jase, too dangerous. And besides, without your powers you'll be in danger and there's not enough time for you and Rocky to go and get your morphers from the command center..."

"But you've fought without your powers before, several times," added Jason. He wasn't about to lose Tommy, not again.

"That's because I had no other choice, not to mention it was only my life at stake. I will not let another innocent life be taken by that monster. I-I...I couldn't stand to lose you twice..." Tommy bowed his head down. He knew Jason's intentions were well meant, but he would never be able to forgive himself if he lost his friends a second time to Sy-Kee.

"What about your life?" Jason then looked over at Jen and Justin. "What about theirs?" he asked.

"This is our battle, not yours," responded Justin.

Rocky in some ways still felt protective of Justin. "But Justin…you're just a kid..."

For a split second Justin saw what he once had lost with Rocky, his big brother, but things had changed now. He no longer was that Justin. "I'm not a kid anymore, Rocky. I've grown up." He put his head down, sighing. "Probably a lot more than I should be..."

Rocky didn't know what to say, because part of him knew Justin was right. He wasn't a kid anymore; a kid doesn't fight battles against monsters, aliens, or robots. Not many kids have seen or have been through all the things Justin had been through.

"And I promised my Wes that I would get Sy-Kee for him, even if I have to go down with him. I've never broken a promise, and I don't intend to start..." added Jen.

No one knew how to respond to the three. They all knew each of them had his reasons. But had they forgotten that it's alright to ask for help, or was there more to it? Maybe they all believed this was the way things should be.

The silence was broken when the front door was kicked down. Everyone turned around and found Wes in the arms of a CellBorg. But not just any CellBorg. Sy-Kee. Everyone quickly stood up and got into a fighting stance, Eric got himself in front of Collins, who was scared stiff to see his son in the hands of a murderous machine. Tommy, Jen and Justin drew their blasters, pointing them at the CellBorg.

"Let him go, Sy-Kee, it's us you want!" yelled Jen.

The CellBorg stared her down, along with the others. He then knelt down and placed Wes's limp unconscious body down on the floor. He slowly stood back up and raised his hands up, in surrender.

Everyone glanced at each other, giving confused and uncertain looks at each other. What just happened here?

"I'm not Sy-Kee, however I am - or was - his second in command, Cy-Core. Some of you may know me better as Frax or as Doctor Fericks, I believe..."

Jen's eyes lit up, it wasn't possible, or was it…


	16. Chapter 16

Eric and Mr. Collins went over to the CellBorg and Wes. The two slowly dragged Wes's body away, as Tommy, Jen and Justin continued to aim their blasters at the CellBorg, not letting their guard down.

Eric and Collins lifted Wes and sat him down on a chair; they saw a small cut on his forehead. Both could tell it wasn't bleeding, but there was evidence of dried blood.

The Commander of the Silver Guardians glared angrily at the now surrounded CellBorg. "What the hell did you do to him, Cy-Core…Frax, or whatever the hell your name is!" he demanded.

"I did nothing. If it hadn't been for me he'd still be trapped in his car, until someone found him by the tree he hit."

Jen stepped closer, aiming her blaster right in his face. "How do we know it wasn't your fault that he hit the tree? And there is no possible way you could be Frax or Dr. Fericks, both of them died years ago..."

He laughed. "Are you sure about that?"

Jen's eyes widened. Was it possible? Could he be telling the truth? Did he somehow lock onto Frax and Dr. Fericks, when he took some of the technology from the remains of the robot?

"We have time for a story, before Sy-Kee will contact you. I'm sure by then your young foolish friend will have waked up."

Tommy stepped forward, blaster still in hand, his eyes full of rage for the thing he hated most. The thing that had taken everything he ever loved away from him. The thing that had destroyed his life. "Give us one reason why we should listen to you or believe anything you say!" His voice was full of heartbreak and rage. After everything that had happened there was no way he would trust a CellBorg so easily, nor believe a word he said.

"Do you really think I would have brought your friend back alive if I weren't telling the truth?"

Everyone looked at each other. He had them there. They knew he could have easily killed Wes if he wanted to, unless this was a trap, and if it was they were already in too deep to get out now.

Jen eyed the CellBorg carefully; she had no way of knowing whether she could trust him or not. She began to wish that Trip or even Cole were around, they were both good at reading people's thoughts. But they weren't here, she would have to trust what she felt, and at that moment she didn't know what she felt.

"What do you think, Jen?" asked Tommy, as he kept his eyes locked on his target.

There was a long pause of silence, until...

"We can trust him," said a soft voice. Everyone looked around trying to figure out who had said that; then they found the source of the voice. It was Wes. He must have hit his head harder than they thought. Did he just say they could trust him? Trust one of the things that had tried to kill all of them?

Wes slowly sat up, but quickly sank back down feeling dizzy and winded. Taking a deep breath he went on, "If it hadn't been for him, or rather the other him, I probably would have never escaped from the CellBorgs..."

All eyes and ears became alert. This was the first they had heard of this; all eyes then fell back onto Cy-Core. It took several moments, but Tommy, Jen and Justin all lowered their blasters and took a few steps back, wondering if that would be a mistake.

It took a moment for all of them to get settled, taking a seat and letting Cy-Core have the floor. Although Wes had said they could trust him, no one was too sure about that. Tommy and the others had told them the CellBorgs were capable of controlling humans; for all they knew Wes could be a danger to them all.

Cy-Core could see the looks of distrust and doubt in their eyes, and he couldn't blame them. They had every right not to trust or believe a word he said. But one way or another he would tell his story, of how he had changed, or as he called it, his curse.

"It all started when both Sy-Kee and I had copied information from the remains of a robot which was found at Bio-Lab. I believe you called him Frax. From the information we both gained technology on weapons, the future, practically everything; we gained powers beyond our wildest dreams. But there were side effects. We noticed something different in the first group of CellBorgs that had copied the information. During battles, when killing humans, some of them were hesitant, as if they had a conscience. Sy-Kee had them destroyed….I was the one ordered to destroy them…."

_Cy-Core powered up his blaster at the group of terrified human-like CellBorgs His eyes locked with each and every one of them; some of them had once been his friends, and soon there would be nothing left of them. Once the blaster had finished powering up, he aimed it right at them, getting ready to shoot, when… Something happened, the trigger was never pulled, Cy-Core tried several times to pull the trigger, but his fingers never pressed hard enough to fire the power beam. What was wrong? This was his job, he was supposed to take the traitors out, but he couldn't for some reason. There was something inside of him stopping him, preventing him from doing something which he had never had a problem with before. He shook his head, and soon what was there was gone; not waiting for the strange feeling to come back, he quickly pulled the trigger, watching as the powerful blast hit the CellBorgs. He watched as they all exploded in front of his eyes. A large fire burned on as he lowered his blaster. Cy-Core felt a sharp pain inside of him, causing him to drop the blaster. The pain was so strong he dropped to his knees, grabbing a hold of his chest. "What is wrong with me?" _

"…I continued to watch as my comrades burned before my eyes. I began to realize that I cared for them. I soon realized that the part I had gotten from the remains of the robot Frax was what was left of his human side, and I had just killed all others like me. I tried to hide that part of me, and for a while I succeeded, until the day I met Wes Collins in the holding chamber…"

All eyes fell on Wes, full of questions. He had never once brought up what had happened to him while the CellBorgs had him or even how he had escaped. And although they knew it hadn't been this CellBorg that had saved him, it was another like him.

Cy-Core then eyed Jen, knowing that this might be hard for her to hear. "He had been there for months, beaten, and sometimes starved. "I had wondered why he didn't just give up, let them kill him, or even kill himself. I finally asked him one day, the day I helped him escape. I even recorded the message, wanting to know what it was like to be human. To understand what it is that I felt inside."

Jen's eyes widened and she felt her heart skip a beat; both Justin and Tommy were at her side, hands on her shoulders, letting her know she wouldn't have to go through this alone. This had been the one responsible for the few hours she was able to spend with Wes until he died.

The room became completely silent, as Cy-Core played the message to them all; perhaps it was the one thing that would gain their trust.

_"Why do you continue to live, day after day they beat you."_

_"Because I'm holding out for her. I promised her I would come back."_

_"Who is this her?"_

_"Someone I love very much, more than life."_

_"Love? Is that what I feel?"_

_"What?"_

_"This love you speak of, where does it come from?"_

_"I'm not sure what you mean. Love is all around, it's inside me."_

_"Maybe this love you speak of is inside me too; something has happened to me. It is as if I care, about you and all humans."_

_"If you care, then help get me out of here, please..." _Cy-Core remembered seeing the tears in Wes's eyes. Something he had never seen or felt before.

_"I cannot help you get out of here, they would destroy me, but I can release you from those chains and leave the cell gate open for you. Your morpher is in the control room, that is all I can tell you..."_

_"Thank you……Hey, if for some reason I don't make it out of here alive can you do something for me?"_

_Cy-Core sounded hesitant. "If I am able."_

_"Could you tell Jen, she's the pink ranger, that I love her, and that I'm sorry for breaking our promise."_

_"I hope I do not have to, but if I must I will try to."_

The recorded message ended. Cy-Core then put his head down; it had taken him sometime but he finally had fulfilled the promise he had made to Wes more than a year ago.

Wes put his head down, remembering that day, the words he had spoken. Even then he wasn't sure why he had begun talking to Cy-Core, maybe it was because he was lonely and needed someone to talk to. Or maybe it was something in the sound of his voice that made Cy-Core different from the others. He took a glance over at Jen, wanting to see her reaction.

There were tears in her eyes, as Justin and Tommy comforted her. Although Wes did escape with his life from the grasp of the CellBorgs, it still did hurt very much. To hear his voice, which she longed for, which she was starting to forget, and it hurt even more learning what he had gone through during those two months and to have it all end so badly. But in some ways, she was glad to hear the message played, just to hear him say 'I love you.'

"Are you okay?" she heard Wes ask.

She wiped her eyes dry and looked up over at him. "I will be," and then she wondered, "Do you think he really meant what he said?"

Wes smiled faintly. "Yeah, because I know I did." There was no time for anyone else to say a word, when Wes's morpher beeped.

Everyone looked at each other. This was it; Sy-Kee was ready for them…


	17. Chapter 17

Wes felt his heart skip a beat; he felt numb and scared inside. Everything from yesterday, ever since he had gotten that frightening call from Sy-Kee saying that he had his wife, Jen, the woman he loved more then anything in the world, had all come down to this moment. Scared stiff, he slowly raised his wrist up just above his mouth. He felt Eric and his father by his side, giving him their strength, letting him know no matter what, they would stick right by him.

Everyone else remained silent, not sure what to say or even what to do. The truth was all of them felt their hearts racing, pounding with fear and uncertainty. All of them were wondering if Jen was alive and well; if they would ever see her again and even if they would all make it out of this alive.

"Go ahead," spoke Wes softly, his voice was shaking and uneasy, due to the great fear and pain he felt in the pit of his stomach.

_"I was beginning to think you wouldn't answer, but I didn't really believe you would just leave your most prized possession in my hands..." _laughed Sy-Kee.

"I would never leave her in the hands of a monster like you!" yelled Wes, feeling his frustration and hatred for Sy-Kee grow. His voice was on the edge of breaking down, but he did his best to remain in control for Jen sake. This was no time for him to lose his temper.

_"So we have a deal then. You will send the three I want to my location and I will free your wife, unharmed..."_

Wes glanced up, looking over at Tommy, Justin, and the other Jen. He didn't want the three to give up their lives; they had already been through enough pain and horror for a lifetime. But he knew in each of their hearts whether he wanted them to or not they were going to turn themselves in, to save Jen. They all had made that clear. Wes sighed heavily as he watched them each gave a nod, telling him they were ready for what they had to do, taking a deep breath. "Yes, we're a go for the plan. But you better swear to me that she's unharmed, because if I find one mark on her from you, I will hunt you down and kill you myself..."

_"Strong words from a man whose wife is in my hands. I could just kill her now and come after you and the others and there would be no need for our plan..."_

"Just give me your word, once you have them you'll let Jen go," cried Wes.

_"I will do my part of the bargain; just make sure you do yours. Have they come to the abandoned warehouse on Dawn __St.__ in one hour." There was a short pause. "And know this, ranger, if I suspect you or any of the others are following them, I will kill her, and don't think I won't!"_

The communication then ended. Wes dropped his head down, sighing. He tried to hold back his tears, but they just came out uncontrollably. The room feel silent, not even little Trent or Tom made a sound.

* * *

Jen felt her heart sink she as she watched as Sy-Kee set the morpher down on the table. She doubted that even if he did get what he wanted, that he would let her go alive. And then there was the fear of knowing that Wes might try to pull one of his reckless and stupid stunts to rescue her, but yet she knew she would do the same thing for him. Why had she gotten so angry with him? She didn't even remember anymore. And now she might never see him again, feel his arms around her or the touch of his lips against hers. The last thing they had said to each other was an argument which ended with her taking off and getting captured by Sy-Kee. And now she might never be able to tell him how much he meant to her. A tear slid down her cheek, she tried to hold it in, but she couldn't, either due to her being pregnant or the situation she was in, probably both.

Sy-Kee turned around, seeing tears in her eyes. "Stop your crying, before I just put you out of your misery."

Wiping her eyes clean, she looked up and stared at him angrily. "Wouldn't that put a damper on your plans?"

Sy-Kee laughed; he had to admit she had spunk in her. Too bad she was on the wrong side, and although he could turn her against the other rangers, she would be useless without her powers. He stepped closer to her, his red eyes glowing darkly. "Did you really think I would let you go alive?" he laughed.

Jen never had a doubt in her mind that all of this was just a trap to lure Tommy, Justin, and her double to him. And unfortunately it had been her own fault for getting put into this situation. If she hadn't gotten so mad at Wes and taken off - she should have stayed and talked things out with him. But no, she let her attitude and pride get the best of her, and now it could have an end result of getting not only herself, but several others killed. And she had a feeling the hundreds of cyclobots around her were part of that plan. "You may kill me, but you will never be allowed to win!" she spat.

"Brave words coming from a powerless ranger." He stepped closer to her and pulled her to her feet, yanking her by her wrist. Jen could feel his eyes right on her seeing right through her. "But I have already won. Nothing can stop me, not you, not the sun, not the other rangers," he snarled, as he shoved her up against the wall.

Jen's right shoulder collided with the wall, she felt her legs give out due to lack of sleep from the night before. Clutching at her shoulder she stared up at the dark shadow over her. The fight she had left in her slowly began to fade away from her, as she bowed her head down, feeling defeated. She hated to fail, but she had nothing left. Soon she was overwhelmed by depression and knowing death was not too far behind.

Sy-Kee stepped back and shook his head. "Humans, they never learn."

* * *

"I'm going with you!" declared Wes.

"The hell you are!" yelled Eric as he forced Wes back down on the chair. "You want to get yourself more banged up than you already are?"

"I have to, Eric! It's Jen…she's my…"

"I don't care, Wes. We all know how you are when it comes to Jen, so just save it!"

"Meaning what?" Wes looked around the room and was getting the same looks from everyone, even the other Jen. Wes turned his attention back to Eric. "You think I'm reckless and careless when it comes to her being in trouble? That's what you all think, isn't it?"

Eric sighed heavily and bowed his head. "You said it, not us..."

Wes just shook his head. "I don't believe this," he muttered. Cy-Core then shoved Eric out of the way and got right into Wes's face, grabbing hold of both of his arms. Cy-Core's red eyed glared right at Wes. If Wes hadn't been scared before he sure was now. That had gotten everyone's attention; it happened so quickly no one had time to react, all they could do was stand still and stare.

"You foolish, stubborn, arrogant human! If Sy-Kee even suspects they," he looked over at the three, then back to Wes, "are being followed he will KILL her without a second thought. He's a CellBorg, a murderer, a killer, a monster. He _will_ show no mercy, not to her, not to you, not to anyone…." Cy-Core bowed his head, knowing it was all true, he had been one, perhaps he still was one. "I should know..." He slowly released his hold on Wes, and backed away. "I am, I was one, a killer, a murderer. I have killed many, all different races of life, even my own kind."

Wes stood up and got right into Cy-Core's face. "Then what am I supposed to do? You know very well even if Tommy, Justin, and Jen surrender, he won't let her go, he'll kill her and then he'll come after us and the rest of the world." Wes could feel his frustration and anger grow. "What are we supposed to do? Because I'm not just going to sit back and let him kill her or anyone else I care about!"

Cy-Core was silent for a long moment, feeling everyone's eyes on him. What were they supposed to do? "We go according to his plan, but I will follow them from behind..."

Eric didn't seem to like the sound of that. He didn't quite trust Cy-Core, after all he was still a CellBorg, part human in him or not, at the end of the day he would always be a CellBorg in his eyes. "I don't think so. How do we know you won't turn on us?" questioned Eric.

"We don't," answered Tommy softly as he stood up. He could understand and even relate to what Eric was feeling "But it's the only plan we've got, we really don't have any other choice."

"I will not betray your trust, you have my word," spoke Cy-Core.

Eric licked his lips, as he looked Cy-Core in the eyes. And for the first time he saw something different, different from the other CellBorgs. Perhaps it was time for him to put his own ways behind, and begin to trust people, even if that person is, or was, a murderer. "All right." he stepped closer to Cy-Core getting right into his face. "But I swear if you betray us. I will kill you even if it takes my whole life."

"Fair enough." Cy-Core put out his hand. Eric stared down at the hand, silvery and shiny in form. He was hesitant at first, but after a moment he put out his hand and shook Cy-Cores hand, wondering to himself if this would be a mistake he would later regret.

"Now what?" asked Rocky.

"Jen, Justin, Cy-Core, and I get prepared and set to leave," answered Tommy as his eyes fell on Wes, who appeared to be uneasy and not liking where this was going. "We'll get her back, Wes, you have my word. I swear on my life that you'll get her back, but I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here. It's too risky if you followed behind us, Sy-Kee might sense you." Tommy could see this was very hard on Wes, and he couldn't blame the guy. When Kimberly had been in trouble he had always wanted to be the one to come to her rescue.

"And he won't sense Cy-Core?" questioned Wes. It was taking all he had to come to grips with knowing that he wouldn't be able to be there to make sure for himself that Jen would be okay.

"I know how he thinks, he won't be able to sense me until it's too late, and besides he doesn't even know I'm here, and my weapon may be the only one powerful enough to stop him..."

Eric's eyes lit up. "It was you, wasn't it?" Cy-Core looked over at Eric. "It was your blaster that saved Wes and me from Sy-Kee."

Cy-Core didn't answer, just nodded his head in response.

Tommy licked his lips and looked down at his watch; it was noon. "It's time..."

The room fell silent as all eyes fell on him, Jen, Justin, and now Cy-Core the ones who would stop Sy-Kee, the ones who would save Jen.

With a heavy heart, Wes said softly, "Watch yourselves, and if something happens, will you tell her that I'm sorry and that I love her." He had just placed the life of the person who was most important to him in their hands.

Jen stepped forward and grabbed hold of his hands. "Don't worry, everything is going to be fine, you're going to be able to tell her yourself..."

"I hope so."


	18. Chapter 18

She looked at him with a heavy heart, everything she thought she had begun to put behind her was all coming back again, as she looked him in the eyes. He was so much like him and yet different in some ways. She felt the fear of loss, afraid of what could happen. She wanted so much to draw him into her arms and tell him not to go, but she knew she couldn't; he had a job to do. So with a heavy heart... "Be careful..." She took a deep breath to hold back her tears.

Tommy smiled gently, and raised his hand to wipe away one of her tears. "Aren't I always?" He then looked past her and saw Jason eyeing them. It did not go unnoticed by Tommy that Jason appeared to be jealous and perhaps a little protective. Tommy's eyes then fell back on Kim. "I better go; Jen's counting on us."

"Right," she said all too softly. Kim watched as Tommy turned around and headed over to Jen and Justin, with Cy-Core not too far behind.

Wes watched with a heavy heart as the three drove off in one of his father's cars. He then watched as Cy-Core waited until the car was out of sight, and then began to go on his way. It took everything he had not to follow him. "Good luck," he whispered.

Wes could sense his father and Eric behind him, giving him their support, or perhaps making sure he wouldn't take off. And if it hadn't been for that and everyone else standing around he probably would have taken off, even if he had to fight all of them to get there. But this time he decided that perhaps it was time he put his faith and trust in others. For once in his life maybe he would really listen to Jen, after all she too was scared that one day one of his stunts could get him killed.

* * *

The car came to a full stop in front of the old warehouse. Most of the windows had been broken and there was broken glass all over the place, along with boxes full of trash that looked like it had been there for a long time, and a smell that was unbearable.

"Tommy, you sure this is the right place?" asked Justin as they all got out of the car.

Tommy looked around the place. It looked abandoned to him, but yet it didn't seem like a base of operations somehow. But that didn't mean this wasn't the place. "It has to be, it's the only abandoned place on Dawn St."

"It's too quiet if you ask me," answered Justin.

Jen walked around trying to peer into one of the windows to see if she could see anything. "A little too quiet…" and not a moment later cyclobots came out of nowhere and began circling around them.

The three huddled together getting into fighting stances. "Friends of yours?" asked Justin taking a quick glance at Jen.

"They're cyclobots, Sy-Kee somehow must have created them," answered Jen.

"Great, just what we need, robotic putty wanna-bees," muttered Tommy.

"Jen, I think it's time we evened out the odds," declared Justin, getting ready to activate his turbo morpher.

"Right!"

Just as the two were about to morph, Sy-Kee stepped forward with Jen in his grasp. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," shouted Sy-Kee.

Frozen and stunned right in their tracks, both Justin and Jen dropped their arms down to their sides. The three looked at each other and then back to Sy-Kee and Jen.

* * *

No one was sure how much time had gone by since the others had left. A half hour, an hour, no one was too sure or wanted to check the time. It seemed like hours, maybe even days that had passed.

The one who seemed to be taking this the hardest was Wes, his concern for Jen and his unborn child was very noticeable to everyone as he tapped his feet while tapping his fingers on his knees, like a child who couldn't sit still. Mr. Collins, who was sitting next to his son, placed his hand on his son's knee to stop him from shaking, like any parent went do. Wes glanced at his father briefly and then stopped shaking. The quietness was starting to get to him. He was beginning to feel anxious and paranoid. Not being able to take another moment of this, Wes quickly stood up. But to his very surprise everyone stood up with him. Wes stared at them questioningly, all eyes were on him. Everyone was looking at him as if he were ill or had some health problem. Shaking his head at the sight, he began to take a few steps. And yet again to his surprise everyone else had taken a few steps towards him. Wes turned around looking at them; he laughed abruptly. "Guys, I'm just going to the bathroom." He then took a few more steps, but again he turned around and found them all still following him. Finally he began to realize what their strange behavior was for. "I'm not going to take off."

All of them eyed him, giving that 'yeah right' attitude. They all knew Wes well enough not to believe that statement. It even appeared little Tom and Trent knew him all too well; they were giving him the same look as everyone else.

"I've heard that one before," remarked Eric, knowing that on more then one occasion Wes had said one thing and done another.

"Come on guys! I really have to go..." Wes just shook his head. "What is it going to take?"

Everyone looked at each other for a moment. Wes watched as smiles appeared on their faces that's when he realized what they were all thinking. "Oh no! You guys are not coming with me to the bathroom."

"Sorry Wes, but we don't have much of a choice," said Jason...

Wes looked over at his dad in protest. "DAD!" he pouted.

"Sorry son, but you really don't give any of us much of a choice. It's for your own good."

"And I thought going as a group in grade school was bad, this is worse," muttered Wes as he made his way down the hall, with everyone following him.

"This of it this way Wes, we could all be going with you in the shower," remarked Rocky.

"ROCKY!" everyone yelled.

* * *

"You have what you want, so let Jen go," Tommy dryly remarked, looking over at Sy-Kee harshly, as a group of four cyclobots were holding on to him, arms behind his back. Jen and Justin were in the same situation as Tommy, having cyclobots holding onto them from behind.

Sy-Kee laughed darkly, as he tightened his grip around Jen's wrist. "Did you really think I would let her go?" Sy-Kee then shoved Jen over to a group of cyclobots.

"You liar! You gave us your word that you would let her go if we surrendered to you!" shouted Jen's double.

"You should know better than to trust the word of a CellBorg," said a voice. A moment later Cy-Core came walking into the picture and now was standing between Sy-Kee and the rangers.

Cy-Core turned around and eyed the three and Jen, his look looked seemed cold and hard. Tommy bowed his had down, along with Justin and their Jen. Had Cy-Core betrayed them? Had this all been just a trap to get them? But then why would Wes have said they could trust him?

"Cy-Core?" called Sy-Kee.

Cy-Core glanced once more at the four rangers before turning around to face Sy-Kee. "Sy-Kee, it's been a long time."

"Not long enough." He quickly drew his blaster out pointing it at Cy-Core.

Cy-Core stepped forward. "Sy-Kee, it's me, Cy-Core, your old friend, your adviser, second in command."

"Try traitor!" shouted Sy-Kee as he began to power up his blaster.

"You're still not mad about that, are you?"

"You freed our prisoner, the red ranger. If that's not being a traitor then I don't know what is," remarked Sy-Kee.

"You still got him though, you killed him, and to top it off you almost got his girlfriend."

It took several moments until Sy-Kee lowered his blaster. "Alright. What do you want, Cy-Core, but make it quick. I have rangers to kill."

"I want to kill them," answered Cy-Core.

"What?" answered Sy-Kee.

Cy-Core turned around so he was facing the four. "It was I who made sure those three came to you. I tricked them into thinking I was their friend so that they would trust me. And they all believed me; such fools," laughed Cy-Core evilly.

"You lied to us," cried Jen, feeling very hurt by this. If he had lied to them, could the conversation between Wes and him been a lie too?

Cy-Core took a few steps forward. "Like I said, you cannot trust a CellBorg. You didn't listen well enough, pink ranger, and now you, your friends, and your double will all perish and soon after your other friends as well."

Sy-Kee laughed darkly. He walked up to Cy-Core placing his hand on his shoulder. "Go ahead and do your worst," said Sy-Kee as he handed Cy-Core his blaster.

"Oh I will, master. You have my word." Cy-Core then stepped closer looking at the rangers, his eyes were glowing a dark shade of red. He slowly began to raise the blaster gun up and pointed it right at Tommy.

"Traitor! Eric was right, we shouldn't have trusted you," remarked Tommy harshly, feeling hurt and betrayed.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," replied Cy-Core.

"I can't believe this is happening," said Justin softly.

"I'm so sorry, Wes," said Jen all too softly. She had told him that Jen would be okay, that he would get her back, but now it seemed she would not only be breaking her promise to her own Wes, but also to the Wes of this world as well.

"Oh Wes.." cried Jen, knowing that at any moment her life would be over and she would never see him again, never be able to tell him that she was sorry for the way she had acted and how much she loved him.

Cy-Core eyed Tommy, getting ready to blast him away. "Any last words?" And in that moment Tommy saw something change in Cy-Cores eyes. He wasn't sure what to make of it, he looked at him questioningly. "Looks like your time is up, rangers, judgment day has come.." And in that instant Cy-Core blasted the weapon.

Tommy slowly opened his eyes, he had heard the blast but felt nothing. He looked to his side. Cy-Core hadn't hit him, but had hit one of the cyclobots that had been holding on to him. The former leader of the power rangers looked at Cy-Core shocked and even surprised. He had been on their side all along, he had been telling the truth.

"WHAT! Cy-Core, you were supposed to hit the rangers not the robots!" yelled Sy-Kee.

Ignoring the mighty CellBorg, Cy-Core continued to blast away the cyclobots that were holding the others back. Once Jen and Justin had been freed, the two got into a fighting stance and morphed into the pink time ranger and blue turbo ranger.

"Would someone mind telling me what going on?" asked Jen. Why of all things was a CellBorg helping them? Tommy ran over to her, knowing with her being pregnant and not being able to morph she was vulnerable.

"I'll explain later, but I have to get you to safety," he said as he grabbed hold of her wrist and started running towards an opening, but more cyclobots showed up, blocking the direction they were headed. They turned around and found more cyclobots surrounding them. "Think you're up for a fight?"

"Like I have a choice," replied Jen, as they both got into fighting stances.

As the rangers were fighting off the army of cyclobots, the two CellBorgs faced each other. Once upon a time they had been friends, allies, on the same team, but something had changed, for better or for worse, what was done is done.

"Well, I never thought it would come to this, but it looks like you leave me with no choice, Cy-Core. CellBorg or not, you're going down."

"As long as you go down with me," remarked Cy-Core, as he tossed the blaster to the side and charged right at Sy-Kee.

Surprisingly enough, the rangers were finding the cyclobots easy to defeat. They might look like cyclobots, but they sure were not the same as the ones Frax had created. Their fighting style was quite different, almost sloppy, they might be strong, but strength isn't everything.

With Justin and Jen fighting in the heart of the battle they were taking cyclobots down left and right. Tommy and Jen hung back, using the small hand blaster Tommy had with him. Together the two blasted their weapon hitting the cyclobots right on target.

Cy-Core and Sy-Kee were in a heated battle, throwing punches and kicks at each other with enormous power. Sparks flew every time one or the other made contact with a punch or a kick.

"You are good, but I am far better. You have let the human part in you make you weak," mocked Sy-Kee, as he grabbed hold of Cy-Core, putting one of his arms around his neck and the other around his chest.

"Perhaps, but if there is one thing I have learned, it is that good always prevails," as his elbow struck him in the gut. It was a powerful strike, bright blue flashes emerged, almost shaking the very ground around them.

Tommy and the others almost lost their balance. That move seemed to take care of the last few cyclobots. The four rangers looked over at the two. They could see Sy-Kee falling back a few feet, but he did not appear to be going down.

Cy-Core turned around and found the rangers staring at them. "Leave, rangers, this is my battle."

The pink time force ranger stepped forward. "No, this is my battle, I promised Wes I would be the one to take him down!" declared Jen, she had never broken a promise and she did not intend to start.

"And I promised him I would make sure you would live." Before the pink ranger could say another word, Cy-Core pulled out a small blaster and shot her. The others watched as her body went limp and demorphed. Justin caught her before she fell to the ground.

"What did you do to her?" yelled Justin.

"She'll be fine, just get her out of here!" Cy-Core turned around and found that Sy-Kee was beginning to remover.

By now Tommy and Jen had ran over to Justin and the now unconscious Jen. "What about you?" asked Tommy.

Cy-Core turned around to face them once more. "Forget about me. After this there will be no CellBorgs left to remember. I am sorry to tell you, you have no way of going back home, I've closed the portal. Now leave, before it's too late." Cy-Core then turned back around, getting ready to once more face Sy-Kee.

For a moment they just stood there watching as the two CellBorgs faced each other. "Come on, you heard him, let's get to safety," ordered Tommy as he helped Justin carry their companion.

"Now it's just you and me, Sy-Kee," declared Cy-Core.

Sy-Kee laughed as he got into a fighting stance and began to power up, a red glow shone around his body and his eyes grew darker. "Are you really willing to sacrifice your life to save these humans?"

"If that's what it takes."

"You're even more foolish than I thought."

* * *

"We should be fine here," said Tommy as he and Justin laid Jen down on the sidewalk. He checked her over to make sure she was breathing.

"Is she?" asked Justin.

"She's fine. She's going to be just fine, whatever he did knocked her out."

"Someone mind telling me who that guy was? Why did he help us? And where's Wes, he isn't….."

"No, he isn't mad at you, more like worried sick," answered Tommy.

"Then why…" she was yet again cut off by Tommy.

"Made him stay behind, but he didn't want to. But he knew it's what you would have wanted," smiled Tommy.

Jen seemed shocked to say the least. "I don't believe it, he actually listened."

Tommy placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah he did."

"Huh.." she slowly opened her eyes to find faces looking at her; everything was blurry at first. "Where am I? What happened….Wait, Sy-Kee…" She started to get up but Tommy pushed her back down.

"Easy, Jen. And don't worry, Cy-Core is taking care of Sy-Kee as we speak."

"But I'm supposed to be the one to take Sy-Kee down. I promised…" she started to cry, as the other Jen cut her off.

"What would he want you to do?"

The two Jens looked at each other, as if they were reading each other's minds. Jen sighed heavily; as much as it hurt she knew she was right. "He'd want me to live." She bowed her head down. "Even if that means having to live without him."

There was a moment of silence, and then Justin turned back in the direction they had come from.

"I wonder what happening?"

* * *

The battle between the two CellBorgs was still going on, both showed signs of weariness and defeat. The battle would be over soon, the question was which side would win. Good or evil? One sudden move could mean victory or defeat.

Cy-Core was missing one of his eyes. Sy-Kee had managed to punch him right in the face, causing his right eye to shatter, but he would not let that slow him down. He would keep on fighting; he would not stop, not until Sy-Kee was finished once and for all.

"You have disgraced the CellBorg race, Cy-Core, you are nothing more but a waste of machinery, a traitor!" mocked Sy-Kee.

Cy-Core stepped forward. "You made me a traitor the day you had me destroy my own kind!"

The two then lunged at each other, punching and kicking, blasts were going all over the place, as the two rolled around on the ground. Once Cy-Core had the upper hand, he locked his body onto that of Sy-Kee, pinning him and holding him to the ground. "It ends here, Sy-Kee!" Cy-Core declared.

"Get off of me, you fool!" shouted Sy-Kee as he tried to push Cy-Core off of him, but was unable.

"Sorry, old friend, but I have to do this," Cy-Core then began to power up. The one eye he had left began to blink on and off. "Self-destruct mode on." And not a moment later, a huge explosion emerged.

* * *

"Woo!" yelled Justin as they all saw the explosion, they could see smoke and fire from the location they had been had just a short time ago. "Do you think?" asked Justin.

"Only one way to find out," said Tommy. He looked down at Jen who was still lying on the ground, and held out his hand. "You up for it?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. I have to know, it's the only way I'll be able to go on."

The four walked to the location where the two CellBorgs had been fighting. Nothing was left, not even the car they had driven in was there. It had been destroyed in the blast along with Cy-Core and Sy-Kee; all they could find were scraps of metal. "It's over. It's really over," said Tommy.

"It will never be over, but we'll go on with our lives," said Jen softly, as she looked at what were the remains of Cy-Core and Sy-Kee. She had always thought she would be happy and that everything would be okay once Sy-Kee was defeated. But it wasn't, the pain she still had in her heart was still there, it hadn't gone away. The truth is, you might be able to take away the monster, but you cannot undo what the monster has done. Her Wes was still dead.

Jen walked up behind her and placed her hand on her shoulder. Knowing that it could have been her.

"Hey, what's this?" asked Justin, as he picked up an oval shaped object and began to brush away the ash.

"My morpher, it must have survived the explosion," said Jen as she took the morpher from Justin's hands.

Tommy took one more look around, sighing heavily. A part of him actually believed that once Sy-Kee had been destroyed, that they would all come back, but he knew that was unrealistic. "Well, I think it's about time we got you home," said Tommy looking over at the Jen of this world.

"Sounds good. I've got someone to apologize to."

"Home?" said the other Jen softly. "We don't have a home to go home to."

Justin turned to Tommy. "She's right, where are we going to go? We can't stay here."

Jen was silent for a moment and then something came to her. Perhaps there was one place they could stay. "I may know of one place."

They all turned, looking at her, but it was only the other Jen who had an idea as to what place that was.


	19. Chapter 19

"Wes!" cried Jen as she ran over to him, throwing her arms around him. Wes wrapped his arms tightly around her. Both of them had tears of joy in their eyes.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time; they had to laugh at that. The two stared each other in the eyes, smiling, as they leaned in for a kiss. Everyone watched happily as the two lovers were reunited. Even the other Jen, although she felt a pang of hurt inside her, was happy for them. Happy that what happened to her didn't happen to one of them. Glad that in at least one dimension there was a happy ending.

Jen and Wes pulled apart completely ignoring everyone around them. "I'm just so happy that you didn't do anything stupid..." said Jen happily as she stroked his cheek.

"Didn't he tell you about.…" Before Eric could finish his sentence he felt Wes elbow him in the gut.

Wes laughed. "Well, I figured I'd listen to you this time. Besides there's a baby coming into the picture…"

"Wait Wes. I don't want you to quit your job."

Wes looked at her, surprised; he had thought that's what she wanted. "Y-You don't?"

Jen shook her head. "No. The world needs people like you, and me." Jen bowed her head down. "I guess I was just scared."

Wes took Jen's hands in his. "Me too, but we'll get through this. Together." Wes then leaned in and kissed Jen gently on the lips.

* * *

A few hours later Wes and Jen were alone in their room together, staring at a holographic screen sitting on the dresser that was from the future. It had been the one Jen brought with her just in case something ever came up and she needed to contact the future.

"Are you sure it won't be a problem?" asked Jen.

Alex shook his head no. "No, it's no problem at all; having them stay in the past could cause too much damage. It would be better for all three to come here." It was bad enough right now having two of someone in the past, let alone having someone who is supposed to be dead there.

"When can you come?" asked Wes.

"Tomorrow. The sooner the better, tell them to prepare to leave at noon. I'll see you guys soon." Alex then cut the connection.

Wes and Jen looked at each other; it seemed everything was falling into place. They for the most part had settled things between them, but they still had a lot to talk about. What few changes they would make after the baby was born. Jen wanted to hear more of the story of what happened to Wes while he was a prisoner of the CellBorgs, what happened to him for two months, how he survived. But for now all that mattered was they were together.

"You look tired," said Jen looking into his eyes.

"So do you," smiled Wes as he led Jen over to their bed. Both of them then crawled under the covers, and wrapped their arms around each other. It had been a long past few days for both of them; they needed this time alone together.

"I love you Wes."

"I love you too, forever."

* * *

The next day came sooner than any of them thought it would. Alex had come just as he said he would, time ship and all. It was time for everyone to say goodbye to their new friends. Friends they would never forget.

Justin was making his last goodbyes with Rocky, his big brother figure, someone who he had and still looked up to.

"I guess this is it." Justin nodded his head sadly. "You going to be okay over there, in the future?" asked Rocky, knowing this was going to be a big move for such a young man. Not only was he not going to be in his own dimension, he was going to be in a different time period.

"Yeah, I think I'll manage. And Jen and Tommy will be with me."

"Yeah," he said softly. With a heavy and aching heart Rocky stepped forward and hugged the young man. "You watch yourself and keep an eye on those two."

Justin nodded his head. "I will."

Rocky nodded his head and gave a faint smile, as he took a few steps back. Justin then turned around and started heading towards the time ship, but stopped after only taking a few steps. There was one thing left that he had to do. He turned around and faced Rocky once more.

"Rocky, go see him. He misses you, and I know he would be glad to see you."

Rocky could feel tears making their way through his eyes. "I will."

"Good." Justin paused, and took one last look at Rocky, one last memory to take with him. "Goodbye Rocky," he said softly as he turned back around and headed straight to the time ship not looking back.

"Goodbye Justin."

Jen was talking to Alex, as Wes was saying goodbye to Jen. "I don't think you have to worry, Wes knows it's not you," said Alex.

Jen grinned. "I know. It's not him I'm worried about," she said as she looked him in the eyes, with concern.

Alex then began to see where she was going with this. He sighed. "I know she's not you and I won't treat her that way. You have my word that I won't press on anything; she's been through a lot. The last thing she needs is me making a move on her."

"Thanks."

Alex nodded his head. He knew this probably would be the last time he would ever see her. "Your really happy here, aren't you?" he asked with a faint smile. This was hard for him, seeing her so happy, with a man that wasn't him.

"Yeah, I am." Jen could tell this was hard on Alex, and in a way it was hard on her. There had been a time when she really did love Alex more then anything. "But that doesn't mean that you didn't make me happy. Things just changed..."

Alex nodded his head. His eyes then looked down at Jen's belly, and he smiled. "Well, I'd better go prepare the time ship to leave; they'll be expecting us."

Jen nodded her head sadly, knowing she would never see Alex again. "Yeah."

Alex leaned in and kissed Jen gently on the cheek. "Goodbye Jennifer."

Jen watched as Alex turned around and headed towards the time ship, without looking back. "Take care Alex…"

Both of them felt uncomfortable as they said goodbye to each other. It was hard and unrealistic at both ends. One was saying goodbye to a lookalike of a dead love, while the other was saying goodbye to someone whose lookalike would be around long after she left.

"At least you'll be going somewhere familiar," said Wes, not all too sure what to say. She might be going somewhere familiar with people she knew, but in a way they were not the people she knew. No, everyone she ever knew and loved had died in her world.

"Yeah."

Wes nodded his head gently. He didn't know what to do, or what he could do. His first reaction would be to pull her into his arms and never let go, but this wasn't his Jen, and he wasn't her Wes. And that's what was making this so difficult.

"Thank you for everything, Wes," she said softly, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Wes looked at her, confused. What had he done? "For what?"

"For helping me remember; giving me one last memory. It was more than I could ever ask for." Before Wes could respond she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, and then without another word turned around and ran towards the time ship.

Wes hung back, sighing, knowing it had been hard enough on her to say goodbye to the one she had lost, she didn't need to relive all of that again with him. Perhaps it had been better that there were no words of goodbye between them. For it would only work for one, he had his Jen here with him, and where she would be going he would not be there.

Jen walked over to Wes and wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his shoulder. Wes turned his head, looking at her, smiling as he kissed her softly. He then reached down for her hand, taking it in his own.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I just hope she will be."

"Me too."

"I really wish you could stay. Kim needs you, those boys need you," started Jason.

Tommy smiled faintly. "They have you." Tommy laughed lightly when he saw the look on Jason's face, that he was more than just surprised that Tommy had seen it. "You love her don't you?"

Jason was at a loss for words. "I-I…yes. But look I didn't mean…" Tommy cut him off before he could finish.

"Jason, it's all right. And I'm sure this is not the first time you've heard it." Jason started to protest, but again Tommy cut him off. "Look Jas, if I could go back and do it all over again, knowing that when I die that you and Kim would end up together, I would do it in a heartbeat."

Jason was shocked. He never expected to hear this from this Tommy or any Tommy.

"Because I know she and my boys would be okay. They would be in good hands. And I couldn't think of anyone better than my best friend." Tommy then leaned in and hugged Jason, for one last and final time.

Jason had tears in his eyes. "I don't know what to say."

"Just say that no matter what you'll always be there for them."

"Always."

Tommy smiled faintly at Jason. He then looked past Jason and saw Kim and the boys. His last goodbye, the hardest one of all, with a heavy heart Tommy began heading towards Kim.

Eric walked over to Jason to check on him, see if he was all right. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just worried about Kim."

Eric placed his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Then I guess it's a good thing she has a friend like you to be there for her."

"A big part of me wants you to stay," said Kim. Tommy looked at her with a heavy heart. He would like that more than anything. But some things just cannot work out the way you want them to. He looked down at the two seat stroller where Tom and Trent were sleeping peacefully. He smiled faintly, as his eyes locked back with hers.

"Me too." He bowed his head down, sighing, taking a moment to gather his words. "But it wouldn't be right. It would be based on a lie. We would only be searching for what we both had lost. And no matter how much either one of us seems, looks, sounds, or act like the one we lost, we're still not them and we never will be. And I know neither one of us wants that," he cried softly.

Kim nodded her head sadly, knowing it was true. "I feel like I'm saying goodbye all over again," she cried.

"I never got that chance," said Tommy as he took her hand in his, staring her in the eyes.

Kim sighed heavily, knowing he was right. His Kim had died instantly, there had been no chance to say goodbye, to say one more I love you. She had been lucky she had gotten that chance, and one last gift. "I just wish I could give you more."

"But you have," Kim looked at him confused. "You gave me a little piece of heaven," he answered as his eyes fell onto the sleeping boys. "And that is more than I could ever ask for. Thank you for giving me a short moment to be the father I never got to be."

Kim had tears in her eyes. She didn't want to lose him, not again. "I don't want you to go. Losing you once was hard enough," she cried.

Tommy raised his hand up to wipe away her tears. "I know. But you're going to be okay, you'll have Jason."

Kim felt her heart skip a beat at the mention of Jason's name. "It's okay Kim. And I know it would be okay with him. He want you to be happy, but you know your probably going to have to be the first one to make a move."

Kim sniffled. "Yeah, Jason's too loyal."

Tommy smiled, as he leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Goodbye Kimberly, and promise me that Tom and Trent will know that their father loves them more than anything."

"I'll never let them forget and I won't let them forget you either; goodbye, Tommy," she cried. The two looked at each other for one last short moment until Tommy turned around and headed towards the time ship without looking back.

Everyone gathered around each other, watching as the time ship lifted up and disappeared through the time hole, all of them hoping and praying that their friends would be okay in their new home. They knew it would be hard at first, but someday, someday things would be better.

"Jason?" asked Kim.

Jason turned around to face Kim. "Yeah. You need something Kim?"

Kim took a deep breath, realizing this was a lot harder then she had thought it would be. "I was wondering if you want to go out someday……..on a date?" she asked.

Jason seemed lost for words. Had he just heard thing right, did Kim just ask him out? "Ah…" Rocky shoved him forward. "Sure. I love to."

"Great. Now I need a babysitter. Any takers? Rocky?" asked Kim.

"Sorry, but I have a plane I have to catch," answered Rocky.

Kim looked over at Wes and Jen. "Sorry Kim, we would love to but Jen and I have already made plans," answered Wes, knowing he and Jen still had a lot to talk about.

All eyes then fell on Eric. Eric started backing away and raised both of his hands up. "I don't think so. I don't do kids."

"Oh come on, Eric, you're great with kids. And I'm sure you little girlfriend would love to help you out," joked Wes.

"She is not my girlfriend! She's like nine years old!"

"Oh come on, Eric it will be fun," said Kim as she pushed the stroller towards him.

Eric gave all of them a cold dark stare. "I don't know why I put up with you all," he grumbled.

"Maybe because we're the only ones crazy enough to put up with you," laughed Rocky.

Everyone started laughing, and soon Eric joined in.

The End.


End file.
